This paper makes some selective comparisons of the empirical evidence relating to financial discipline and soft budget constraints in the enterprise sector in China and the transition countries of Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union (CEEFSU). The paper finds that: (1) in both...

In a centralized federation, where tax rates and taxation rules are set by the federal govern-ment, manipulating the thoroughness of tax auditing and the effectiveness of tax collection could be attractive for regional authorities because of a variety of reasons. These range from tax competition...

This Selected Issues paper for the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe (STP) underlies the recent upward trend in inflation that was heavily influenced by external factors. The policy mix to achieve price stability requires effective control of money supply and fiscal restraint. As...

This 2006 Article IV Consultation highlights that real GDP in the Federated States of Micronesia grew by only 1½ percent in FY2005 and declined by nearly 1 percent in FY2006. The underlying fiscal situation has deteriorated, despite a decline in the overall deficit. Executive Directors have...

This Technical Assistance Report focuses on continued modernization of the Malian tax system and administration. The crisis that has afflicted Mali since 2012 has had an adverse economic impact, reflected in a 25 percent decline in government resources and negative growth of -1.2 percent....

The global financial and economic crisis presents major challenges for tax agencies. With the economic downturn, tax agencies are encountering emerging compliance problems and greater demands for taxpayer support in the face of prospective budget cuts. To help address these challenges, this...

Three hypotheses about the nature of federal tax arrears in Russia in the second half of the 1990s are tested empirically. Tax arrears can be a result of: 1) liquidity problems in firms, 2) redistribute subsidies of the federal government, or 3) regional political resistance to federal tax...