{"title":"Regions’ Budgets in January-May 2020: Fiscal Transfers Stabilize the Situation","authors":"A. Deryugin","doi":"10.2139/ssrn.3647470","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3647470","url":null,"abstract":"In May 2020, regions’ own tax and non-tax consolidated budget revenues decreased by 19.8% as compared with May 2019; this is a continuation to a large extent of the April trends when regions’ budget revenues were hit hard by the crisis and restrictive measures. At the same time, financial injections on the part of the federal center justified both by an increase in the planned volumes of the financial aid to regions and more rhythmical provision thereof permitted to reduce the risk of reduction of current budget revenues of less well-off regions.<br><br>Early this year, the upward trend of differentiation of fiscal capacity observed in 2017-2019 between better-off regions and worse-off regions (tax and non-tax revenues of better-off regions grew faster) changed. Based on the results of January-April 2020, the growth rates of tax and non-tax revenues of worse-off constituent entities turned out to be higher than those of the groups of better-off ones.<br><br>Despite the slowdown of budget revenue growth, in January-May 2020 regional budget expenditures increased by 18.7% on the relevant period of 2019 (by 19.6% in May, which factor is a continuation of the April trends and related with the implementation of the package of anti-crisis measures. A shift in the expenditure pattern towards investments was justified by active application of budget funds for these purposes. <br>","PeriodicalId":222083,"journal":{"name":"ERN: Fiscal Policy & Institutional Change in Transition Economics (Topic)","volume":"69 2","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-07-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"120812167","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Tax Policy – Efficient Tool for Development of Latvia","authors":"A. Prohorovs","doi":"10.2139/ssrn.3568720","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3568720","url":null,"abstract":"Starting from 1 January 2018, Latvia introduced changes in the corporate income tax (CIT) system. In accordance with the new law, companies should pay CIT only from that part of the profit that is distributed as dividends, that is, essentially, reinvested profits were exempted from CIT. The same CIT system has been operating in Estonia since 2000, and, according to researchers and practitioners, the introduction of such system in Estonia has demonstrated its effectiveness for both companies and the state. The results of the first year of the CIT reform in Latvia show that despite a significant decrease in corporate bank lending, Latvian companies significantly increased their net turnover; their profit and profitability indicators, i.e. business performance indicators, grew even more significantly.<br><br>The aggregate growth in tax revenues paid by companies to the state budget has increased as compared to the previous periods and as compared to similar indicators of the other Baltic countries. It can be concluded that performance improvement of the Latvian companies after the CIT reform is mainly attributable to an increase in the economic motivation of companies to accumulate capital and reinvest it, as well as an increase in the funds remaining at the disposal of the companies. At the same time, the growth of tax revenues to the state budget accelerated due to the decrease of the tax burden, which resulted in promotion of company business activity. The CIT reform also contributed to growth of financial stability of the companies and some reduction in the share of the shadow economy in the companies.<br><br>The results of the first year of the CIT reform in Latvia indicate that it is expedient to introduce such tax incentive as a deferral of CIT payments until companies distribute dividends in the countries with catch-up economy, as well as the countries that plan to stimulate increase of company equity and investment activity.","PeriodicalId":222083,"journal":{"name":"ERN: Fiscal Policy & Institutional Change in Transition Economics (Topic)","volume":"26 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"129140156","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Rethinking Fiscal Policy in Oil-Exporting Countries","authors":"Tokhir N Mirzoev, Ling-xue Zhu","doi":"10.5089/9781498314749.001","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5089/9781498314749.001","url":null,"abstract":"We examine the existing fiscal policy paradigm in commodity-exporting countries. First, we argue that its centerpiece—the permanent income hypothesis (PIH)—is not consistent with either intergenerational equity or long-term sustainability in the presence of uncertainty. Policies to achieve these goals need to be more prudent and better anchored than the PIH. Second, we point out the presence of a volatility tradeoff between government spending and wealth and re-assess long-held views on the appropriate fiscal anchors, the vice of procyclicality, and the (im)possibility of simultaneously smoothing consumption and ensuring intergenerational equity and sustainability. Finally, we propose what we call a prudent wealth stabilization policy that would be more consistent with long-term fiscal policy goals, yet relatively simple to implement and communicate.","PeriodicalId":222083,"journal":{"name":"ERN: Fiscal Policy & Institutional Change in Transition Economics (Topic)","volume":"36 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"122234886","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Policy Implications for Low-to-Middle Income (LMICs) Countries Considering Universal Coverage: Lessons from OECD Countries","authors":"C. Kinyua","doi":"10.2139/ssrn.3114190","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3114190","url":null,"abstract":"The restructuring of health financing policy in most countries has been intensified following the World Health Assembly Resolution in 2005 by Member States to introduce or strengthen universal coverage policy. The goals of universal coverage are: to offer households financial risk protection (FRP) in order to avoid catastrophic spending and impoverishment from seeking care; to ensure equal access to health care based on relative need irrespective of ability to make health payments, social status and geographical location. This is achievable through increased prepayment of health care through general tax revenue and social health insurance, two health financing mechanism that guarantee universal coverage. Given their long experience as universal systems, OECD countries provide valuable lessons to low-to-middle income (LMICs) countries considering the introduction of universal coverage policy. The policy implications for LMICs from the OECD countries given their long experience as universal systems are fundamental in informing the policy process.","PeriodicalId":222083,"journal":{"name":"ERN: Fiscal Policy & Institutional Change in Transition Economics (Topic)","volume":"33 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2018-01-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"134074600","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A Review of the FRBM Act","authors":"Charan Singh, P R Devi Prasad, K. Sharma, S. K.","doi":"10.2139/SSRN.2981526","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2139/SSRN.2981526","url":null,"abstract":"The Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Act (FRBMA), 2003 sets fiscal rules that seek to foster fiscal discipline on the Central Government and achieving a balanced budget with effective revenue management. The Act sets targets and suggests means of reducing fiscal and revenue deficits. It has however, had limited success. The targets that were to be achieved by 2008-09 were relaxed because of financial crisis of 2008. However, strict implementation of FRBMA has been a matter of concern. This paper notes that there is an urgent requirement for greater transparency in budget preparation, making the medium-term framework more binding and greater capacity building on the part of government to promote budgetary and debt management institutions.","PeriodicalId":222083,"journal":{"name":"ERN: Fiscal Policy & Institutional Change in Transition Economics (Topic)","volume":"51 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2017-06-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"124214836","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A Historical Case Study on the Development and Evolution of Taxation in the Gambia","authors":"Dr. Assan Jallow","doi":"10.2139/ssrn.2876991","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2876991","url":null,"abstract":"The paper provides a critical reassessment on the history of taxation in The Gambia. It examines in stylised facts a historical case study on the evolution and development of tax administration in The Gambia from the perspectives of Customs and Income Taxes. This is relevant as it brings into context, the unprecedented development on tax administration in The Gambia, from pre and post-independence era. Furthermore, the paper discusses on the importance of having in place a relevant, well-documented, historically richer and accessible sourced materials on taxation within the discourse of public financial management in The Gambia. The paper further discussed on the role of the Gambia Revenue Authority, as the thrust of tax administration on behalf of the government of The Gambia in the implementation of tax reforms and modernisation programmes for better revenue collecting mechanism. Findings in this study indicate that The Gambia has a minimally exposed taxation history that requires an immediate paradigm shift to establish a historical taxation base and pattern. Finally, the paper concludes with a recommendation for more empirical studies to be undertaken by scholars, students’ and future researchers to enrich the body of knowledge in the literature of tax administration in The Gambia.","PeriodicalId":222083,"journal":{"name":"ERN: Fiscal Policy & Institutional Change in Transition Economics (Topic)","volume":"35 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2016-11-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"123893021","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The Fiscal Multiplier in Small Open Economy: The Role of Liquidity Frictions","authors":"Jasmin Sin","doi":"10.5089/9781498366298.001","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5089/9781498366298.001","url":null,"abstract":"This paper studies the fiscal multiplier using a small-open-economy DSGE model enriched with financial frictions. It shows that the multiplier is large when frictions are present in domestic and international financial markets. The reason is that in the model government bonds are more liquid than private financial assets and that entrepreneurs face liquidity constraints. A bond-financed fiscal expansion eases these constraints and stimulates investment and hence growth. This mechanism, however, breaks down under the assumption of perfect international capital mobility, suggesting that conventional models which ignore the presence of frictions in international capital markets tend to underestimate the fiscal multiplier.","PeriodicalId":222083,"journal":{"name":"ERN: Fiscal Policy & Institutional Change in Transition Economics (Topic)","volume":"5 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2016-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"126862211","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Fiscal Consolidation As a Self-Fulfilling Prophecy on Fiscal Multipliers","authors":"Hubert Bukowski","doi":"10.2139/ssrn.2805867","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2805867","url":null,"abstract":"Fiscal policy may affect the size of the fiscal multiplier or lengthen the elevated multipliers period. This notion at first seems controversial, however it is only an outcome of combining two strands of already available literature together. The first strand touches the effects of fiscal policy on economic situation, the second one suggests economic situation affects fiscal multiplier. Having those two premises implies that fiscal policy could indirectly influence the fiscal multiplier size or the length of the elevated multiplier period. This possibility is fitted into a simple model of liquidity trap with hysteresis effects. One of the main outcomes of the model is that, when the government expectations on the size of the fiscal multiplier influence fiscal actions - as it is possibly the case - those expectations may become selffulfilling prophecies.","PeriodicalId":222083,"journal":{"name":"ERN: Fiscal Policy & Institutional Change in Transition Economics (Topic)","volume":"40 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2015-10-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"132831207","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Base Erosion, Profit Shifting and Developing Countries","authors":"Ernesto Crivelli, Ruud A. De Mooij, M. Keen","doi":"10.1628/001522116X14646834385460","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1628/001522116X14646834385460","url":null,"abstract":"International corporate tax issues have now risen to prominence in public debate. But while there is considerable empirical evidence for advanced countries on the cross-country fiscal externalities at their heart, there is almost none for developing countries. This paper uses panel data for 173 countries over 33 years to explore their magnitude and nature, focusing particularly on developing countries and applying a new method to distinguish between spillover effects through real decisions and through avoidance, and to quantify the revenue impact of the latter. The results suggest that spillover effects on the tax base are if anything a greater concern for developing countries than for advanced - and a significant one.","PeriodicalId":222083,"journal":{"name":"ERN: Fiscal Policy & Institutional Change in Transition Economics (Topic)","volume":"12 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2015-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"133561679","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Avoiding Tax in South Africa's Retail Industry Via Customer Loyalty Programs","authors":"Karen Odendaal, Teresa M. Pidduck","doi":"10.18533/JEFS.V2I05.142","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.18533/JEFS.V2I05.142","url":null,"abstract":"The Medium Term Budget Policy Statement presented by the South African Minister of Finance in late 2013, highlighted that government expenditure substantially exceeded revenues collected. In investigating the possible broadening of the South African tax base as well as improving revenue administration, there is evidence of a gap in the taxation of customer loyalty programmes within many industries. The problem is that customer loyalty award credits are currently not being taxed by the revenue authority in South Africa. This study uses a multiple instrumental case study design to identify the tax leakages resulting from inadequate revenue administration within the South African retail industry’s use of customer loyalty programmes. The study has found that the loss to the fiscus in the non-taxing of customer loyalty award credits is substantial.","PeriodicalId":222083,"journal":{"name":"ERN: Fiscal Policy & Institutional Change in Transition Economics (Topic)","volume":"19 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2014-10-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"122315988","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}