The purpose of this document is to inform Bank staff and other interested parties about recent developments in integration and trade among the countries of the Western Hemisphere and between these and other countries and world regions.

The purpose of this document is to inform Bank staff and other interested parties about recent developments in integration and trade among the countries of the Western Hemisphere and between these and other countries and world regions.

The approval of Decisions 599 and 600 on the Harmonization of Substantial and Procedural Aspects of Value Added Taxes and the Harmonization of Excise Type Taxes (VAT and selective taxes) by the Commission of the Andean Community is a notable victory for the Andean integration process and sets a...

This study summarizes the assessment of the impact of fiscal policies on equity in the Andean countries. It evaluates the outcome of the main taxes and social public expenditures on income distribution applying a homogeneous methodology. The full effect of taxes is slightly regressive due to a...

After a long process that began in October 1998, on July 12, 2004 the Andean Community (CAN) approved Decisions 599 and 600 on, respectively, the harmonization of value added tax (VAT) and excise type taxes (ET). The only precedent for the agreement on tax harmonization in the CAN is the...