This paper discusses pilot fiscal transparency assessment for Costa Rica. The assessment confirmed that Costa Rica has various excellent and sophisticated fiscal transparency practices. Those include: (1) institutional coverage with annual consolidated budgetary information for the entire public...

This 2007 Article IV Consultation highlights that Dominica has fully recovered from the 2001–02 economic and financial crisis. Output growth has rebounded, reaching 4 percent in 2006, and it is expected to remain above trend in 2007. The rebound is driven by a pickup in tourism, recovery...

Economic conditions in Egypt are favorable, and the economic reform is moving forward. The discussions focused on the elements of a macroeconomic policy. IMF staff discussed the following with authorities: a multiyear fiscal consolidation plan, the monetary policy stance and strategy appropriate...

This report discusses Angola’s sixth review under the Stand-By Arrangement (SBA) and request for waivers of nonobservance of performance criteria. Three years after the abrupt decline in world oil prices that severely impacted its economy, Angola has reached a sharply improved fiscal...

The Bahamas depends heavily on tourism and financial services. Executive Directors have commended the strong track record of prudent macroeconomic management, but have encouraged the government to broaden the domestic tax base, reduce distortions, increase the resilience of revenues to shocks,...

This paper presents Burkina Faso’s third review under the Three-Year Arrangement under the Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility. Favorable weather augurs well for a rebound in agricultural production, but real GDP growth is expected to remain below trend in the near term. A good harvest...

The key findings of Colombia’s 2010 Article IV Consultation on economic developments and policies are presented. The Colombian economy had begun to slow down in early 2008, as policies had been tightened to address overheating, but the global crisis caused private investment to collapse...

This 2008 Article IV Consultation highlights that Burundi is emerging slowly from more than a decade of civil conflict. GDP per capita is about US$139, and only 18 percent of the population is food secure. Economic growth slowed down while inflation increased in 2007. External developments were...

Over the past two years, economic activity in Palau has been slowed. Executive Directors welcomed the authorities’ disciplined policies, strong financial sector legislation, and prudent management of foreign grants. They encouraged the authorities to build a strong fiscal consolidation...

This paper analyzes the efforts taken to create fiscal space for the implementation of the fifth national development plan and the risk associated with it, examines the role of monetary policy in determining inflation, and discusses policy options to achieve low inflation. It also identifies...