The Icelandic government has launched a review of the tax system, with a view to improving its income redistribution, growth orientation, and efficiency features, as well as increasing its revenue mobilization potential. It aims at minimizing detrimental effects on employment and growth, and at...

This Selected Issues paper reviews Belgium’s experience with fiscal adjustment and the long-term outlook for the public finances. The paper discusses the composition and scale of the fiscal adjustment, and the extent to which it has exerted a durable impact on the public finances. It offers a...

This paper describes economic developments in Belgium during the 1990s. The moderate recovery experienced by Belgium in 1994 slowed in the course of 1995 as foreign demand faltered, and GDP growth for 1995 as a whole is now estimated at 2 percent. Domestic demand was supported by increased...

This Selected Background Issues paper analyzes the competitiveness issues for Belgium and analyzes in what sense competitiveness is important for the country. The paper summarizes the approach followed in Belgium to measure developments in this respect. It discusses alternative indicators,...

This Selected Background Issues paper analyzes sectoral wage differentiation and labor cost issues in Belgium. The paper discusses wage dispersion across sectors in Belgium and compares it with the pattern in other European countries. It analyzes the data for the Organization for Economic...

This paper examines the potential contribution of unemployment hysteresis theories to the understanding of the Belgian labor market. It estimates models of wage determination using aggregate and firm-level panel data. Two main conclusions emerge: (i) the long-term unemployed do not exert a...

In recent years, the IMF has released a growing number of reports and other documents covering economic and financial developments and trends in member countries. Each report, prepared by a staff team after discussions with government officials, is published at the option of the member country

In recent years, the IMF has released a growing number of reports and other documents covering economic and financial developments and trends in member countries. Each report, prepared by a staff team after discussions with government officials, is published at the option of the member country

Belgium’s impressive past fiscal consolidation is an example for other countries that need to bring down their public debt and also provides insights on how best to address its own current fiscal challenges. Belgium has a unique history of a long and successful large fiscal consolidation....

After being hit by a severe recession in 2008–09, the Belgian economy is gradually recovering. When core inflation remained subdued in 2010, headline inflation jumped up due to the energy price hike. The growth of potential output is expected to revert to its declining trend over the medium...