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dc.titleExplaining Changes in Tax Burdens in Latin America: Does Politics Trump Economics?
dc.contributor.authorHallerberg, Mark
dc.contributor.authorScartascini, Carlos
dc.contributor.orgunitDepartment of Research and Chief Economist
dc.coverageLatin America and the Caribbean
dc.date.available2015-09-16T00:00:00
dc.date.issue2015-09-15T00:00:00
dc.description.abstractThis paper examines whether elections, which are generally held on fixed dates, and banking crises explain the timing of tax reforms and the allocation of the additional tax burden. Using an original fine-grained dataset of tax reforms, the paper finds support for the role of these two sources of variation. In particular, the probability of reform is higher during banking crises. During electoral periods, increasing taxes becomes highly unlikely, even if the government is facing financing problems. Interestingly, politics seem to trump economics: banking crises do not affect the probability of having a reform during electoral times. Moreover, the presence of an IMF program affects the tax instruments chosen: countries with a program increase the value-added tax, while those without raise the personal income tax. Finally, the ideology of the president does not explain who bears the additional tax burden.
dc.format.extent69
dc.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.18235/0000135
dc.identifier.urlhttps://publications.iadb.org/publications/english/document/Explaining-Changes-in-Tax-Burdens-in-Latin-America-Does-Politics-Trump-Economics.pdf
dc.language.isoen
dc.mediumAdobe PDF
dc.publisherInter-American Development Bank
dc.subjectPublic Administration
dc.subjectTaxation
dc.subjectFinancial Crisis and Structural Adjustement
dc.subjectFiscal Policy
dc.subjectElections
dc.subject.jelcodeF41 - Open Economy Macroeconomics
dc.subject.jelcodeH2 - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue
dc.subject.keywordsIdeology;Policymaking;Elections;Taxation;Fiscal reform;Political economy;Banking crises
dc.typeWorking Papers
idb.identifier.pubnumberWorking Papers
idb.operationBK-C1102
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