Coordinated Tax-Tari Reforms, Informality, and Welfare Distribution

Jenny Ligthart and Gerard van der Meijden ()

International Center for Public Policy Working Paper Series, at AYSPS, GSU from International Center for Public Policy, Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, Georgia State University

Abstract: The paper studies the revenue, eciency, and distributional implications of a simple strategy of ofsetting tariff reductions with increases in destination-based consumption taxes so as to leave consumer prices unchanged. We employ a dynamic micro-founded macroeconomic model of a small open developing economy, which features an informal sector that cannot be taxed, a formal agricultural sector, and an import-substitution sector. The reform strategy increases government revenue, imports, exports, and the informal sector. In contrast to Emran and Stiglitz (2005), who ignore the dynamic effects of taxes and tariffs on factor markets, we and an eciency gain, which is unevenly distributed. Existing generations benefit more than future generations, who depending on pre-existing tax and tariff rates and the informal sector size even may become worse off.

Keywords: Tari reform; consumption tax reform; informal sector; home production; transitional dynamics; overlapping generations; second-best outcome (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 54 pages
Date: 2010-10-01
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http://icepp.gsu.edu/files/2015/03/ispwp1029.pdf (application/pdf)

Related works:
Working Paper: Coordinated Tax-Tariff Reforms, Informality, and Welfare Distribution (2010)
Working Paper: Coordinated Tax-Tariff Reforms, Informality, and Welfare Distribution (2010)
Working Paper: Coordinated Tax-Tariff Reforms, Informality, and Welfare Distribution (2010)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ays:ispwps:paper1029

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