Designing a Presumptive Income Tax Based on Turnover in Countries with Large Informal Sectors

Designing a Presumptive Income Tax Based on Turnover in Countries with Large Informal Sectors PDF Author: Feng Wei
Publisher: International Monetary Fund
ISBN:
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 47

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Book Description
Turnover (sales) is frequently used in developing countries as a presumptive income tax base, to economize on the costs of tax administration and taxpayer compliance. We construct a simple model where a size threshold separates firms paying turnover tax from those paying profit tax (regular income tax), and where firms have the option of producing in the untaxed, informal sector. The optimal turnover tax rate trades off two policy concerns: reducing informality and avoiding strategic reductions in sales by firms seeking to remain below the threshold for the profit tax. We provide analytical results and calibrate the model to compute the optimal policy using realistic parameter values. The optimal turnover tax rate for countries with large informal sectors is found to be around 2.5% across most scenarios, while the threshold separating the turnover tax regime from profit tax lies for the most part between $65,000 and $95,000. Introducing an optimally designed turnover tax reduces the rate of informality of businesses by about 12 percentage points in the calibrated model.

Designing a Presumptive Income Tax Based on Turnover in Countries with Large Informal Sectors

Designing a Presumptive Income Tax Based on Turnover in Countries with Large Informal Sectors PDF Author: Feng Wei
Publisher: International Monetary Fund
ISBN:
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 47

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Book Description
Turnover (sales) is frequently used in developing countries as a presumptive income tax base, to economize on the costs of tax administration and taxpayer compliance. We construct a simple model where a size threshold separates firms paying turnover tax from those paying profit tax (regular income tax), and where firms have the option of producing in the untaxed, informal sector. The optimal turnover tax rate trades off two policy concerns: reducing informality and avoiding strategic reductions in sales by firms seeking to remain below the threshold for the profit tax. We provide analytical results and calibrate the model to compute the optimal policy using realistic parameter values. The optimal turnover tax rate for countries with large informal sectors is found to be around 2.5% across most scenarios, while the threshold separating the turnover tax regime from profit tax lies for the most part between $65,000 and $95,000. Introducing an optimally designed turnover tax reduces the rate of informality of businesses by about 12 percentage points in the calibrated model.

Presumptive Taxation in Sub-Saharan Africa

Presumptive Taxation in Sub-Saharan Africa PDF Author: Mr.Günther Taube
Publisher: International Monetary Fund
ISBN:
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 50

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Book Description
This paper analyses presumptive taxation methods and their application in Sub-Saharan Africa. Presumptive taxation involves simple techniques to capture domestic transactions and sources of income that frequently escapes conventional taxation.

OECD Tax Policy Studies Taxation of SMEs Key Issues and Policy Considerations

OECD Tax Policy Studies Taxation of SMEs Key Issues and Policy Considerations PDF Author: OECD
Publisher: OECD Publishing
ISBN: 9264024743
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 170

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Book Description
This publication examines the taxation of SMEs in OECD countries and covers a broad range of SME taxation issues, including possible effects of taxation on the creation and growth of SMEs, and considerations arising from a relatively high compliance burden.

Designing a Tax Administration Reform Strategy

Designing a Tax Administration Reform Strategy PDF Author: Ms.Katherine Baer
Publisher: International Monetary Fund
ISBN: 1451980396
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 37

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Book Description
Building on previous FAD work in the tax administration field, this paper defines broad criteria for diagnosing the problems in a country’s tax administration and formulating an appropriate reform strategy. To be effective, this strategy should be based on the size of the tax gap and the country’s particular circumstances. This paper discusses some guiding principles which have provided the basis for successful reforms, including: reducing the tax system’s complexity, encouraging taxpayers’ voluntary compliance, differentiating the treatment of taxpayers by their revenue potential, and ensuring the reform’s effective management. Also discussed are specific bottlenecks that hinder the effectiveness of the tax administration’s operations.

Brazil: Tax Expenditure Rationalization Within Broader Tax Reform

Brazil: Tax Expenditure Rationalization Within Broader Tax Reform PDF Author: Maria Delgado Coelho
Publisher: International Monetary Fund
ISBN: 1513596624
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 46

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Book Description
The excessive complexity and burden of the Brazilian tax system, riddled by cumulative indirect taxes and heavy payroll contributions, have led to an accumulation of fiscal incentives aimed at reducing its burden on taxpayers and productive activities. Federal and subnational tax expenditures currently stand at over 5 percent of GDP. Rationalizing them can only be comprehensively feasible in the context of a broader sequenced tax reform, and could reduce resource misallocation and income inequality, as well as provide new revenues.

A Firm Lower Bound: Characteristics and Impact of Corporate Minimum Taxation

A Firm Lower Bound: Characteristics and Impact of Corporate Minimum Taxation PDF Author: Aqib Aslam
Publisher: International Monetary Fund
ISBN: 1513561073
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 50

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Book Description
This paper examines the role of minimum taxes and attempts to quantify their impact on economic activity. Minimum taxes can be effective at shoring up the corporate tax base and enhancing the perceived equity of the tax system, potentially motivating broader taxpayer compliance. Where political and administrative constraints prevent reforms to the standard corporate income tax, a minimum tax can help mitigate base erosion from excessive tax incentives and avoidance. Using a new panel dataset that catalogues changes in minimum tax regimes over time around the world, firm-level analysis suggests that the introduction or reform of a minimum tax is associated with an increase in the average effective tax rate of just over 1.5 percentage points with respect to turnover and of around 10 percent with respect to operating income. Minimum taxes based on modified corporate income lead to the largest increases in effective tax rates, followed by those based on assets and turnover.

The Optimal Turnover Threshold and Tax Rate for SMEs

The Optimal Turnover Threshold and Tax Rate for SMEs PDF Author: Feng Wei
Publisher: International Monetary Fund
ISBN: 1498312292
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 34

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Book Description
Presumptive income taxes in the form of a tax on turnover for SMEs are pervasive as a way to reduce the costs of compliance and administration. We analyze a model where entrepreneurs allocate labor to the formal and informal sectors. Formal sector income is subjected either to a corporate income tax or a tax on turnover, depending on whether their turnover exceeds a threshold. We characterize the private sector equilibrium for any given configuration of tax policy parameters (corporate income tax rate, turnover tax rate, and threshold). Given private behavior, social welfare is optimized. We interpret the first-order conditions for welfare maximization to identify the key margins and then simulate a calibrated version of the model.

How to Design Tax Policy in Fragile States

How to Design Tax Policy in Fragile States PDF Author: Mario Mansour
Publisher: International Monetary Fund
ISBN: 1513508156
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 29

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Book Description
The purpose of this note is to provide a framework for improving tax policy design in fragile and conflict-affected states, which face political and institutional constraints. This note begins with an overview of experiences in revenue mobilization in fragile states, including relative to other country groups—in particular, nonfragile states and formerly fragile states; that is, countries that exited fragility during the period under study. A discussion follows of how the principles of tax policy design should be applied in fragile states, particularly the relative importance of the revenue objective vis-à-vis other objectives, such as equity and efficiency. The two sections that follow provide guidance on tax policy design in the emergency and consolidation phases, respectively, and discuss how governments can use tax policy to transition from one phase to another, eventually overcoming fragility. The note concludes with key lessons and a set of guiding principles for tax reform in fragile states.

Revenue Mobilization in Developing Countries

Revenue Mobilization in Developing Countries PDF Author: International Monetary Fund. Fiscal Affairs Dept.
Publisher: International Monetary Fund
ISBN: 1498339247
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 86

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Book Description
The Fund has long played a lead role in supporting developing countries’ efforts to improve their revenue mobilization. This paper draws on that experience to review issues and good practice, and to assess prospects in this key area.

Economic Informality

Economic Informality PDF Author: Ana Maria Oviedo
Publisher: World Bank Publications
ISBN: 0821379976
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 54

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Book Description
This survey assembles recent theoretical and empirical advances in the literature on economic informality and analyzes the causes and costs of informality in developed and developing economies. Using recent evidence, the survey discusses the nature and roots of informal economic activity across countries, distinguishing between informality as the result of exclusion and exit. The survey provides an extensive review of recent international experience with policies aimed at reducing informality, in particular, policies that facilitate the formalization process, create a framework for the transition from informality to formality, lend support to newly created firms, reduce or eliminate inconsistencies across regulation and government agencies, increase information flows, and increase enforcement.