Blog

Tax Expenditures in the Balkans: Time to Open the Black Box

| 28 October 2021
Fiscal, Blog | Tags: Tax Expenditures, Tax Reform
The traditional way of thinking about government expenditure goes as follows: first, governments collect revenue (through taxes, borrowing, or other means such as fines and penalties) and then they spend that revenue through the budget process. However, governments can also choose to support different economic ... continue reading

Social Tax Expenditures: The Case of Quebec

, , and | 5 October 2021
Fiscal, Blog | Tags: Social Protection, Tax Expenditures
While the world is weathering the COVID-19 storm, the role of sound social protection systems has become even more crucial. Designing social protection expenditures that are fit for purpose and that contribute to coming back stronger while leaving no one behind is imperative. Public intervention ... continue reading

Tax Expenditures—The $1.5 Trillion Elephant in the (Budget) Room

and | 16 September 2021
Fiscal, Blog | Tags: Income Tax, Inequality, Tax Expenditures
The Biden administration FY 2022 Budget proposal includes $2.4 trillion of additional revenue over the next 10 years. Higher tax rates on high-income individuals and corporations account for $990 billion. At the same time, the budget proposes $1.35 trillion of new tax expenditures from exemptions, ... continue reading

Is Artificial Intelligence Coming for Your Job?

and | 13 July 2021
Trade, Blog | Tags: Artificial Intelligence, Employment, Innovation
Artificial intelligence (AI) potentially generates big changes to the way we live and work. In a recent study we simulate the uptake of AI-enabled automation software in engineering and manufacturing. It shows an S-shaped adoption path – slow at the beginning and accelerating as a ... continue reading

Get My Tax Base if You Can

| 25 June 2021
Fiscal, Blog | Tags: Developing Countries, Minimum Tax Rate, Tax Competition
The headlines from the G7 summit in Cornwall might suggest that the groundwork has just been laid for the most fundamental overhaul of the international tax regime in decades. The twin proposal accords additional taxing rights to states with large consumer markets and introduces a ... continue reading

ECB and Climate Change: The Direction is Clear – But Ambition and Speed are Lacking

| 7 June 2021
Monetary, Blog | Tags: Central Banks, Monetary Policy Operations, Sustainability
All public institutions urgently need to address the colossal challenges posed by climate change. Central banks are no exception, and their representatives are well aware of this. Jens Weidmann, President of the Deutsche Bundesbank, for example, is convinced "that we can all do more to mitigate ... continue reading

Services Trade and the Gender Wage Gap: The Case of India

and | 31 May 2021
Trade, Blog | Tags: India, Inequality, Services Trade, Wage Gap
India’s female labour force participation rate is less than half of the global average and the gender wage gap is substantial. With higher tertiary graduation rates and excelling in frontier skills for the future, women constitute a talent pool that India can ill afford to ... continue reading

Governing Finance – The Case for a New Playbook

and | 7 April 2021
Monetary, Blog | Tags: Central Banks, Climate Change, Digital Finance, Employment, Financial Supervision, Governing Finance, Inequality, Sustainability
Finance impacts all aspects of our lives, from our economies to social cohesion to the ecological systems we depend on for our very survival. As a result, the implications of how we govern finance are fundamental, and ultimately existential. Yet, alarmingly, we are not talking ... continue reading

Trade in Environmental Services: The Quiet Revolution

and | 29 March 2021
Trade, Blog | Tags: Environment, Services Trade, Sustainable Development
A significant number of WTO members have taken steps to revive the discussions on the role that traded environmental goods and services could play in a green recovery. This is encouraging. While technology offers significant opportunities for a green recovery, more needs to be done ... continue reading

Why Governments Continue to Offer Inefficient Investment Incentives? The Role of Bureaucratic Design

and | 19 March 2021
Fiscal, Blog | Tags: Investment, Tax Incentives
Governments worldwide use a myriad of tax incentives to promote investment and yet, there is little evidence that these incentives actually work as intended. Moreover, although the striking lack of transparency makes it hard (if not impossible) to accurately estimate their fiscal cost, the available ... continue reading