Taxation, Inequality and Poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa

Taxation, Inequality and Poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa PDF Author: Michael Masiya
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 15

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Book Description
The study investigated the impact of taxation on poverty and inequality in 14 Sub-Saharan African countries in a strongly balanced panel spanning from 1990 to 2010 using data from World Bank, IMF, IBFD, and Government Revenue Database (GRD). The study employed the Bayesian Model Averaging, Simple Panel Models and the GMM models to ascertain the impact of taxation on inequality and poverty. The results revealed that the more progressive a tax system is, the less the inequality and that a higher tax effort reduces poverty. Another interesting result was that while rising tax proportion of GDP reduces poverty, it is bound to worsen inequality. Policy implications arising from the study include: gradual expansion of the tax base, limiting the use of differentiated rates, utilization of withholding and presumptive taxes, transparency and simplicity of the tax system. Additionally, SSA governments are urged to adopt multi-bracketed tax systems to curb inequality.

Taxation, Inequality and Poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa

Taxation, Inequality and Poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa PDF Author: Michael Masiya
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 15

Get Book Here

Book Description
The study investigated the impact of taxation on poverty and inequality in 14 Sub-Saharan African countries in a strongly balanced panel spanning from 1990 to 2010 using data from World Bank, IMF, IBFD, and Government Revenue Database (GRD). The study employed the Bayesian Model Averaging, Simple Panel Models and the GMM models to ascertain the impact of taxation on inequality and poverty. The results revealed that the more progressive a tax system is, the less the inequality and that a higher tax effort reduces poverty. Another interesting result was that while rising tax proportion of GDP reduces poverty, it is bound to worsen inequality. Policy implications arising from the study include: gradual expansion of the tax base, limiting the use of differentiated rates, utilization of withholding and presumptive taxes, transparency and simplicity of the tax system. Additionally, SSA governments are urged to adopt multi-bracketed tax systems to curb inequality.

Tax Policy in Sub-Saharan Africa

Tax Policy in Sub-Saharan Africa PDF Author: Zmarak Shalizi
Publisher: World Bank Publications
ISBN: 9780821311653
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 38

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Book Description
Trade is an essential driver for sustained economic growth, and growth is necessary for poverty reduction. In Sub-Saharan Africa, where three-fourths of the poor live in rural areas, spurring growth and generating income and employment opportunities is critical for poverty reduction strategies. Seventy percent of the population lives in rural areas, where livelihoods are largely dependent on the production and export of raw agricultural commodities such as coffee, cocoa, and cotton, whose prices in real terms have been steadily declining over the past decades. The deterioration in the terms of trade resulted for Africa in a steady contraction of its share in global trade over the past 50 years. Diversification of agriculture into higher-value, non-traditional exports is seen today as a priority for most of these countries. Some African countries-in particular, Kenya, South Africa, Uganda, CÔte d'Ivoire, Senegal, and Zimbabwe-have managed to diversify their agricultural sector into non-traditional, high-value-added products such as cut flowers and plants, fresh and processed fruits and vegetables. To learn from these experiences and better assist other African countries in designing and implementing effective agricultural growth and diversification strategies, the World Bank has launched a comprehensive set of studies under the broad theme of "Agricultural Trade Facilitation and Non-Traditional Agricultural Export Development in Sub-Saharan Africa." This study provides an in-depth analysis of the current structure and dynamics of the European import market for flowers and fresh horticulture products. It aims to help client countries, industry stakeholders, and development partners to get a better understanding of these markets, and to assess the prospects and opportunities they offer for Sub-Saharan African exporters.

Income Inequality Trends in Sub-Saharan Africa

Income Inequality Trends in Sub-Saharan Africa PDF Author: Ayodele F. Odusola
Publisher:
ISBN: 9789211264241
Category : Africa, Sub-Saharan
Languages : en
Pages : 43

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Book Description


Poverty in Africa

Poverty in Africa PDF Author: Augustin Kwasi Fosu
Publisher: University of Nairobi Press
ISBN: 996684662X
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 27

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Book Description
This volume adds value to the existing literature by presenting concepts and methods for poverty analysis in a single source and by documenting them for students, scholars and policy-makers, especially those in Africa where the challenge of poverty reduction is greatest. --Book Jacket.

The Effects of Taxation on Income Inequality in Sub-Saharan Africa

The Effects of Taxation on Income Inequality in Sub-Saharan Africa PDF Author: Idrissa Mohamed Ouedraogo
Publisher:
ISBN: 9789292672621
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
This paper investigates the effects of taxation on income inequality in an unbalanced panel of 45 countries in sub-Saharan Africa over the period 1980-2018. We use instrumentalvariable two-stage least squares and instrumental-variable quantile regression estimates. We find that taxation widens income inequality. We also show that the increasing effects of taxation on income inequality are higher in the most unequal countries than in the least unequal countries. Furthermore, we highlight an inverse U-shaped relationship between indirect taxes and income inequality. Governments in sub-Saharan Africa should increase indirect taxes to at least 28.36 per cent of gross domestic product in order to reap the dividends in terms of reducing inequality.

Determinants of Income Inequality and Its Effects on Economic Growth

Determinants of Income Inequality and Its Effects on Economic Growth PDF Author: Matthew O. Odedokun
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Africa
Languages : en
Pages : 42

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Book Description


The Disconcerting Pyramids of Poverty and Inequality of Sub-Saharan Africa

The Disconcerting Pyramids of Poverty and Inequality of Sub-Saharan Africa PDF Author: Mr.Paulo Silva Lopes
Publisher: INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND
ISBN: 9781451860665
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Poverty and inequality in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) should not be ascertained only on the basis of scarce and unreliable income distribution statistics, but should also take into account social conditions. Recent, widely disseminated claims that poverty and inequality have increased over the past 30 years are based on regional income estimates with falling medians and rising upper variances over that period. Graphically, this translates into pyramid-shaped income distributions that, perversely, shift to the left and widen over time. However, during the same period social indicators improved significantly (if insufficiently), and we argue in this paper that such a trend represents progress with social equity in SSA. This point is illustrated through the configuration of alternative "social pyramids" that move for most of the last 30 years in the right direction. However, more recently, social indicators are being set back by the HIV/AIDS pandemic, which will generate greater and more dehumanizing poverty in the years ahead even if meaningful economic growth is achieved. As underscored by the multiplicity of "pyramid" representations, poverty and inequality time trends in SSA can thus best be described as disconcerting in that they remain arguably illusive and definitely disturbing.

Poverty and Shared Prosperity 2020

Poverty and Shared Prosperity 2020 PDF Author: World Bank
Publisher: World Bank Publications
ISBN: 1464816034
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 288

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Book Description
This edition of the biennial Poverty and Shared Prosperity report brings sobering news. The COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic and its associated economic crisis, compounded by the effects of armed conflict and climate change, are reversing hard-won gains in poverty reduction and shared prosperity. The fight to end poverty has suffered its worst setback in decades after more than 20 years of progress. The goal of ending extreme poverty by 2030, already at risk before the pandemic, is now beyond reach in the absence of swift, significant, and sustained action, and the objective of advancing shared prosperity—raising the incomes of the poorest 40 percent in each country—will be much more difficult. Poverty and Shared Prosperity 2020: Reversals of Fortune presents new estimates of COVID-19's impacts on global poverty and shared prosperity. Harnessing fresh data from frontline surveys and economic simulations, it shows that pandemic-related job losses and deprivation worldwide are hitting already poor and vulnerable people hard, while also shifting the profile of global poverty to include millions of 'new poor.' Original analysis included in the report shows that the new poor are more urban, better educated, and less likely to work in agriculture than those living in extreme poverty before COVID-19. It also gives new estimates of the impact of conflict and climate change, and how they overlap. These results are important for targeting policies to safeguard lives and livelihoods. It shows how some countries are acting to reverse the crisis, protect those most vulnerable, and promote a resilient recovery. These findings call for urgent action. If the global response fails the world's poorest and most vulnerable people now, the losses they have experienced to date will be minimal compared with what lies ahead. Success over the long term will require much more than stopping COVID-19. As efforts to curb the disease and its economic fallout intensify, the interrupted development agenda in low- and middle-income countries must be put back on track. Recovering from today's reversals of fortune requires tackling the economic crisis unleashed by COVID-19 with a commitment proportional to the crisis itself. In doing so, countries can also plant the seeds for dealing with the long-term development challenges of promoting inclusive growth, capital accumulation, and risk prevention—particularly the risks of conflict and climate change.

Poverty and Shared Prosperity 2016

Poverty and Shared Prosperity 2016 PDF Author: World Bank Group
Publisher: World Bank Publications
ISBN: 1464809798
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 336

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Book Description
Poverty and Shared Prosperity 2016 is the first of an annual flagship report that will inform a global audience comprising development practitioners, policy makers, researchers, advocates, and citizens in general with the latest and most accurate estimates on trends in global poverty and shared prosperity. This edition will also document trends in inequality and identify recent country experiences that have been successful in reducing inequalities, provide key lessons from those experiences, and synthesize the rigorous evidence on public policies that can shift inequality in a way that bolsters poverty reduction and shared prosperity in a sustainable manner. Specifically, the report will address the following questions: • What is the latest evidence on the levels and evolution of extreme poverty and shared prosperity? • Which countries and regions have been more successful in terms of progress toward the twin goals and which are lagging behind? • What does the global context of lower economic growth mean for achieving the twin goals? • How can inequality reduction contribute to achieving the twin goals? • What does the evidence show concerning global and between- and within-country inequality trends? • Which interventions and countries have used the most innovative approaches to achieving the twin goals through reductions in inequality? The report will make four main contributions. First, it will present the most recent numbers on poverty, shared prosperity, and inequality. Second, it will stress the importance of inequality reduction in ending poverty and boosting shared prosperity by 2030 in a context of weaker growth. Third, it will highlight the diversity of within-country inequality reduction experiences and will synthesize experiences of successful countries and policies, addressing the roots of inequality without compromising economic growth. In doing so, the report will shatter some myths and sharpen our knowledge of what works in reducing inequalities. Finally, it will also advocate for the need to expand and improve data collection—for example, data availability, comparability, and quality—and rigorous evidence on inequality impacts in order to deliver high-quality poverty and shared prosperity monitoring.

Fiscal Redistribution and Income Inequality in Latin America

Fiscal Redistribution and Income Inequality in Latin America PDF Author: Edwin Goni
Publisher: World Bank Publications
ISBN:
Category : Debt Markets
Languages : en
Pages : 31

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Book Description
Abstract: Income inequality in Latin America ranks among the highest in the world. It can be traced back to the unequal distribution of assets (especially land and education) in the region. But the extent to which asset inequality translates into income inequality depends on the redistributive capacity of the state. This paper documents the performance of Latin American fiscal systems from the perspective of income redistribution using newly-available information on the incidence of taxes and transfers across the region. The findings indicate that: (i) the differences in income inequality before taxes and transfers between Latin America and Western Europe are much more modest than those after taxes and transfers; (ii) the key reason is that, in contrast with industrial countries, in most Latin American countries the fiscal system is of little help in reducing income inequality; and (iii) in countries where fiscal redistribution is significant, it is achieved mostly through transfers rather than taxes. These facts stress the need for fiscal reforms across the region to further the goal of social equity. However, different countries need to place different relative emphasis on raising tax collection, restructuring the tax system, and improving the targeting of expenditures.