The government of the Kyrgyz Republic is determined to consolidate its finances over the coming years. This note describes the main elements of the tax regime in the Kyrgyz Republic, looks into tax incentives, and provides some reform options to raise revenues. The second note is on monetary...

This report on the Russian Federation’s Observance of Standards and Codes reports on the fiscal transparency module. Russia has achieved considerable progress in fiscal transparency and financial management since 1999, although a number of important reforms remain to be undertaken. The...

This 2003 Article IV Consultation highlights that after a prolonged recession through the second half of the 1990s, the Netherlands Antilles economy has recently shown some important resilience. With the exchange rate pegged to the U.S. dollar, the Netherlands Antilles has enjoyed low inflation....

The staff report for the Request for Stand-By Arrangement on Gabon highlights economic developments and policies. A higher-than-anticipated rise in oil GDP more than offset lower-than-expected growth of non-oil GDP. Overall fiscal performance was strong, as the non-oil primary deficit was...

This paper examines Croatia’s 2004 Article IV Consultation and Request for Stand-By Arrangement (SBA). Croatia has established a record of solid growth and low inflation since the mid-1990s. Real GDP growth has averaged about 4.5 percent, with inflation in the low single digits. This...

Since the conclusion of the last Article IV Consultation in October 2001, Georgia's macroeconomic performance has been encouraging. The 2003 Article IV Consultation and program discussions were held against the backdrop of protracted deviations from the IMF-supported program. Discussions with...

This 2004 Article IV Consultation highlights that Slovakia’s economic performance has improved since the 2003 Article IV Consultation. Output has expanded strongly, and fiscal and external balances have narrowed substantially in recent years. These developments were assisted by large...

This paper examines Ukraine’s Request for a Stand-By Arrangement (SBA). The authorities have requested a 12-month SBA, which they intend to treat as precautionary. Their economic program for 2004 aims to sustain recent stabilization gains and advance some important structural reforms. Key...

This paper reviews Ex-Post Assessment of Performance Under IMF-Supported Programs for Guinea-Bissau. More than two-thirds of the population of approximately 1.3 million is living below the poverty line in Guinea-Bissau. The paper describes developments under IMF-supported programs since 1993,...

This Selected Issues paper for Austria reports the impact of the government size, in addition to tax and expenditure composition, on real GDP growth. In addition to having a large public sector relative to the European Union (EU) 15 average, the composition of revenues is skewed, on the one...