In 2008, Madagascar reformed its domestic tax system. Because the excise duties and VAT regimes were reformed, the taxation of imports has changed. This paper quantifies how the reform changes the protection against imports and the fiscal revenues from taxation of imports. It shows that, even if...

Absolute poverty has dropped markedly in Bulgaria but income inequality has increased substantially in the aftermath of the GFC. This increase is due to a rise in market income inequality that was compounded by a reduction in fiscal redistribution. The redistributive role of direct taxation has...

The world trading system is now dual. Preferential (i.e. discriminatory) trade agreements (PTA) coexist with the non-discriminatory GATT-WTO system. PTAs have proliferated since the mid-1980s and most observers believe that they are here to stay. However, history shows that two previous waves of...

This policy brief shows that if a country intends to use trade as an engine for growth and development, then it should not overlook imports. The first section provides evidence that imports are an important determinant of export performance. Therefore, the success of an export-led growth...

The increasing fragmentation of production across borders (the “global value chains” — GVCs) has important implications for the analysis of competitiveness. Two new databases allow to refine the assessment of France's competitiveness. In this context it appears that: 1) France export...

This chapter takes stock of the rapid increase in EU-China trade; analyses the diversification of Chinese exports to the EU with a focus on electronics and textiles; and, finally, describes current and potential trade disputes and the EU strategy to prevent and resolve differences

Though close to the OECD average, France's product market is more regulated than in comparable large European countries. Barriers to competition are particularly high in services, which now account for about 79 percent of the economy. The Macron law would be an important step forward, though...

After decades of rising public spending and successive tax increases, the medium-term fiscal consolidation path described in the 2015 Stability Program is now fully expenditure based. However, recent efforts of nominal spending containment have not delivered the intended savings in the context...

Belgium faces two main fiscal challenges that call for a durable fiscal consolidation. First, at above 105 percent of GDP, public debt creates vulnerabilities. Second, the aging population and early access to pension benefits will lead in the medium term to significant fiscal costs. To address...

The Aid for Trade Initiative is an answer to developing countries’ requests for technical and financial assistance in the Doha Round negotiations. These requests prompted the WTO to collaborate with donors and development agencies but no attempt at increasing coherence between trade policy,...