Publications

A Renewed Urgency to Rationalize Tax Expenditures in Low- and Low-Middle Income Countries

and | 16 April 2025
Fiscal, Blog | Tags: Domestic Revenue Mobilization, Tax Expenditures, Tax Reform
In this blog, we argue that the case for streamlining and reforming TEs has become even more urgent. This urgency arises from recent developments including the decisions by the United States and the United Kingdom to significantly reduce their international aid budgets... ... continue reading

Economic Policies for Affordable, Secure and Clean Energy: Insights from India

and | 3 April 2025
Fiscal, Discussion Notes | Tags: Energy, Fossil Fuel Subsidies, India, Renewables
India is making significant strides toward affordable, secure and clean energy with the help of ambitious economic policy packages. Yet, like in other countries, many challenges remain. ... continue reading

Wang’s Café Goes Green: Innovative Finance Solutions for Small Companies

| 27 March 2025
Monetary, Blog | Tags: China, Entrepreneurship, Financial Inclusion, Green Finance
Financial markets have mobilized a large and growing amount of money for climate action – but most of it goes to large firms. Small companies (micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises or MSMEs in the jargon) struggle to access the finance needed to green their activities. ... continue reading

Clearing the Air: Lessons from the EU ETS for Low Carbon Aviation

and | 6 March 2025
Fiscal, Blog | Tags: Carbon Pricing, Energy, Fossil Fuels, Tax Expenditures, Transport
Aviation has long enjoyed a special tax status. Airline fuel for international flights is generally exempt from excise duties. International air travel also benefits widely from VAT exemption or zero-rated VAT. ... continue reading

Tax Expenditures Country Report: Brazil

, , and | 25 February 2025
Fiscal, Discussion Notes | Tags: Brazil, GTED, GTETI, Tax Expenditures
Tax expenditures in Brazil corresponded to 4.78% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2023, taking only the federal level into account. If state-level tax expenditures are included, the share reaches 7.2% of GDP in 2023. ... continue reading

Inclusive Green Finance for Small Companies: A Case Study of Pilot Cities in China’s Zhejiang Province

, and | 21 February 2025
Monetary, Discussion Notes | Tags: China, Entrepreneurship, Financial Inclusion, Green Finance
Micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) are crucial for the transition to a sustainable economy. However, they face major challenges in accessing financing for sustainable investments. ... continue reading

China’s Monetary Stimulus. Aggregate and Structural Implications

| 13 February 2025
Monetary, Blog | Tags: Central Banks, China, Economic Growth, Financial Stability
The People’s Bank of China (PBOC) convened its 2025 work conference in Beijing from 3 to 4 January, signaling a commitment to maintaining a supportive policy stance in the new year following key steps in this direction in 2024. ... continue reading

Collaboration in Action. Improving Tax Expenditure Policy Through Regional Engagement

| 14 January 2025
Fiscal, Blog | Tags: Parliaments, Tax Expenditures
The primary objectives of the ATI Tax Expenditures Workshop series were to build capacity, facilitate knowledge transfer, and establish robust regional networks of TE experts. ... continue reading

Governing Insurance for Financial Stability and Environmental Sustainability

| 20 December 2024
Monetary, Policy Briefs | Tags: Climate Risks, Environmental Risks, Financial Stability, Insurance, Macroprudential Policy
Despite its links to climate and nature risks (for instance, through insurance against natural catastrophes), the insurance sector has so far received insufficient attention from most policymakers, regulators and supervisors. ... continue reading

The Global Tax Expenditures Transparency Index Companion Paper: Revised Version

, , , and | 3 December 2024
Fiscal, Discussion Notes | Tags: GTETI, Tax Expenditures, Transparency
The revised Companion Paper includes a description of the methodological adjustments made since the launch of the Global Tax Expenditures Transparency Index (GTETI). Changes do not only affect the internal structure of individual indicators but also the underlying format of  the data. ... continue reading

The Global Tax Expenditures Transparency Index (GTETI 1.1): New Features and Improved Methodology

| 3 December 2024
Fiscal, News | Tags: GTETI, Tax Expenditures, Transparency
Since its launch in October 2023, the index has gained attention from governments and organizations worldwide, as a useful tool for fiscal transparency. More recently, several updates and adjustments to the GTETI 1.0 structure and methodology have been introduced to fine-tune the assessment. ... continue reading

Tax Expenditures Country Report: France

| 29 November 2024
Fiscal, Discussion Notes | Tags: France, GTED, GTETI, Tax Expenditures
According to the French Ministry of Finance, tax expenditures have a budgetary cost (revenue forgone) equal to 2.9% of GDP, or 6.8% of the total amount of compulsory levies in France in 2023. ... continue reading

The Role of Parliamentarians in the Management of Tax Expenditures in ECOWAS Member States

| 22 November 2024
Fiscal, Blog | Tags: Africa, ECOWAS, Parliaments, Tax Expenditures
Since 2018, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has introduced reforms to harmonise and improve the management of taxes and duties for the benefit of the Commission and its Member States. ... continue reading

Le Rôle des Parlementaires dans la Gestion des Dépenses Fiscales dans la Zone CEDEAO

| 22 November 2024
Fiscal, Blog | Tags: Africa, ECOWAS, Parliaments, Tax Expenditures
La Communauté Économique des États de l’Afrique de l’Ouest (CEDEAO) a engagé depuis 2018 des réformes pour l’harmonisation et l’amélioration de la gestion des impôts et taxes au profit de la Commission et de ses États Membres. ... continue reading

Beyond the Budget: A Global Perspective on Social Spending Through Tax Expenditures

and | 20 November 2024
Fiscal, Research Papers | Tags: Inequality, Social Protection, Tax Expenditures, VAT
This study underlines the necessity for meticulous evaluation and efficient design of TEs to better align TE regimes with governments' social policy objectives as well as to minimise unintended social or economic consequences. ... continue reading