The apparent contradiction between trade liberalization and continuing high trade tax revenue raises the important question of how, precisely, the one affects the other. Although policymakers generally recognize the long-term benefits of trade liberalization, some have argued for at least a...

Intro -- Contents -- Preface -- 1 The Nature, Importance, and Spread of the VAT -- 2 Basic Design Issues -- 3 Is the VAT a Particularly Effective and Efficient Tax? -- 4 Understanding the Revenue Performance of VATs -- 5 Collection Costs and the Complexity of VAT -- 6 A Survey of Advice and...

Value-added tax, or VAT, first introduced less than 50 years ago, is now a pivotal component of tax systems around the world. The rapid and seemingly irresistible rise of the VAT is probably the most important tax development of the latter twentieth century, and certainly the most breathtaking....

Edited by William Alexander, Jeffrey M. Davis, Liam P. Ebrill, and Carl-Johan Lindgren, this volume discusses cross-country restructuring experiences building on the foundation laid by its predecessor Band Soundness and Macroeconomic Policy. It discusses broad principles and actions to guide...