Blog

Hitting the Mark: Design Choices in Targeted Refinancing

| 17 April 2025
Monetary, Blog | Tags: Central Banks, Targeted Refinancing Lines
To target their objectives, central banks have a broad toolbox. Each of their instruments has impacts on a range of their goals and must be calibrated accordingly. The critical role of design choices in targeted refinancing operations is a case in point. ... continue reading

FfD4 Countdown: A Watered-Down Proposal on Tax Expenditures Risks Undermining Countries’ Domestic Revenue Mobilization

, , , and | 17 April 2025
Fiscal, Blog | Tags: Domestic Revenue Mobilization, Investment, Tax Expenditures
At the Fourth Conference on Financing for Development in June, countries must commit to greater oversight of tax expenditures, including implementing minimum reporting standards, and rationalizing ineffective or harmful tax expenditures. ... continue reading

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

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