Standard models of fiscal federalism suggest many benefits of decentralization in developing economies, and there has been a recent push toward decentralization around the world. However, developing countries presently still have less decentralization, particularly on the revenue side, than both...

We analyze a multi-country model in which a small group of countries adopts banking secrecy (BS) laws and a withholding tax. The other group doesn't. BS countries benefit in all relevant macroeconomic variables, including taxes and the provision of public goods. In non-BS countries most of the...

This study aims to explain the variation in empirical estimates in the literature on the elasticity of foreign direct investment with respect to company tax levels. To that end, we extend the meta analysis of De Mooij and Ederveen (2003) by considering an alternative classification of the...

We analyze an overlapping-generations world comprising two groups of small countries whose preferences for public spending differ. Key steady-state effects from introducing bank secrecy and a withholding tax in countries with low government spending are: a reduction of global capital and income,...

In 1990 Colombia replaced its traditional system of severance payments with a new system of severance payments savings accounts (SPSAs). Although severance payments are often justified on the grounds that they provide insurance against earnings loss, they also increase costs for employers and...

Taxation through its impact on entrepreneurial activity, the attraction of Foreign Direct Investments, as well as disposable income and savings can be a crucial factor for economic growth. In this context, the paper examines the role of taxation as a determinant of macroeconomic stabilization in...

This Working Paper is aimed at describing the current version of Federal Planning Bureau's medium-term macrosectoral model, named HERMES. This model is used to produce on a regular basis medium-term outlooks for the Belgian economy. In addition to the main macroeconomic aggregates (GDP, private...

This study aims to explain the variation in empirical estimates in the literature on the elasticity of foreign direct investment with respect to company tax levels. To that end, we extend the meta analysis of De Mooij and Ederveen (2003) by considering an alternative classification of the...

We find that lottery tax windfalls finance higher state-government expenditures on supplemental security income that increase consumption, but only during bust periods. Wealth transfers from lottery winners to low income households enable fiscal policy to stabilize consumption during bust periods.

In 1990 Colombia replaced its traditional system of severance payments with a new system of severance payments savings accounts (SPSAs). Although severance payments often are justified on the grounds that they provide insurance against earnings loss, they also increase costs for employers and...