We compare the general tax provisions and investment incentives in the Philippines to six other east-Asian economies-Malaysia, Indonesia, Lao, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand. We calculate effective tax rates and find that general effective tax rates are relatively high in the Philippines, while...

Tax incentives have been used extensively in the countries of the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union (ECCU) to promote investment. The associated revenue losses are large, and benefits in terms of new investment have been limited, raising doubts about the cost effectiveness of the tax incentive...

The principal argument for subsidizing foreign investment, especially in developing andtransition economies, is the assumed spillover of technology to local firms. Yet researchersreport mixed results on spillovers. To examine the phenomenon in a systematic way, wecollected 3,626 estimates from...

Does FDI affect productivity growth, innovation, and knowledge sourcing activities ofdomestic firms? This study employs detailed firm-level panel-data from Estonia’smanufacturing sector to investigate different channels through which FDI can affectdomestic firms. I use instrumental variables...

We review a large body of literature dealing with the effects of Foreign Direct Investment(FDI) on economies during their transformation from a command economic systemtoward a market system. We report the results of a meta-analysis based on the literatureon externalities from FDI. The studies on...

In this paper we examine the location determinants of the inflow of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI)into Poland, at a regional level. Using survey data from an online questionnaire in February 2005and a multinomial logit model incorporating the investor’s specific characteristics, we show...

This Selected Issues paper and Statistical Appendix reviews the factors behind developments in government revenue in Vietnam during 1996–2000. This period encompasses Vietnam’s continued transition to a market-based economy, the Asian financial crisis in 1997, and, toward the end,...

The paper discusses options available to tax mineral extraction projects particularly in developing countries. A desirable government share of the economic rent generated from mineral extraction can be achieved through different tax and non-tax instruments. This gives some room to design a...

Despite repeated shocks, the United States economy has provided valuable support for global growth. Executive Directors commended this development, and stressed the need to tighten fiscal and monetary policies. They welcomed the assessment of the fiscal transparency Reports on Observance of...