Browse by: "T"
Index
Title Index
Year Index
This report investigates how tax revenue from transport fuels could evolve over time as vehicles rely less on fossil fuels, with a focus on the case study of the Republic of Slovenia. Reducing the reliance on fossil fuels in the transport sector is a welcome development from the perspective of its climate and health impacts and of reduced energy dependence. However, under current settings, reduced fuel use will also lead to a loss of tax revenues, which may put stress on government budgets. Based on simulations for Slovenia, with a 2050 horizon, the report provides an in-depth assessment of the taxation of road transport and investigates how tax policy could adapt to declining fossil fuel use in the long term if the objective is to maintain revenues at current levels while taking fairness and efficiency considerations into account. It finds that gradual tax reforms, with an evolving mix of taxes, shifting from taxes on fuel to taxes on distances driven, can contribute to more sustainable tax policy over the long term.
This study takes an in-depth look at the arable crops sector in OECD countries and draws some conclusions about the impacts of agricultural support policies, trade liberalisation, agri-environmental payments, and agri-ennvironmental regulations. It contains economic and structural data, agri-environmental indicators for the arable crops sector, and analysis of the policy measures supporting arable crops farming and addressing environmental issues both at the aggregate country level and regional levels. This is the third in a series of in-depth studies being undertaken by the OECD to investigate the linkages between agriculture, trade and the environment. The first study on the pig sector was published in 2003, and the second study on the dairy sector was published in 2004.
This is the 1998 Arrangement. The main purpose of the Arrangement is to provide the institutional framework for an orderly export credit market; it aims to prevent an export credit race in which exporting countries compete on the basis of who grants the most favourable financing terms rather than on the basis of the price and quality of the product. The Arrangement sets limits on the terms and conditions for export credits involving credit terms of two years or more - that is, that are insured, guaranteed, extended, refinanced or subsidised by or through export credit agencies. In addition to providing a framework for official export credits, the Arrangement sets out rules for tied aid and for risk-based premium fees. The Arrangement is a gentlemen's agreement; it is not an OECD legal Act. The Participants to the Arrangement are most OECD Member countries
With many regions in OECD countries facing declining working age populations, the geographical dimension of migration has become crucial for regional development. Where migrants settle within countries and how much they contribute to the local economies are important questions for policy makers. This report aims to address these questions using two novel datasets that offer internationally comparable information on migration and migrants' labour market integration across cities, towns and rural areas in OECD countries. The report also analyses different dimensions of regional development and provides new evidence on how migrants contribute to regional income, innovation, international trade and labour markets.
The multilateral trading system has delivered successive rounds of trade liberalisation and established mechanisms to protect the interests of trading nations. The result has been growth for those nations that have recognised the importance of openness and established a domestic policy framework that complements the opportunities presented by trade liberalisation. How have some developing countries been able to turn globalisation to their advantage? What trade issues will need to be addressed if development is to be promoted more broadly? How can the multilateral trading system facilitate the development process? This publication provides an in-depth analysis of the development dimensions of trade, with particular emphasis on the integration of non-OECD countries into the global economy.
This report examines how public stockholding policies related to rice in Asia can influence domestic and international markets. Following a review of the working of rice public stockholding programmes in eight Asian countries (Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, the Philippines and Thailand), the report examines the impacts of these programmes over the medium term (2018-2030) and analyses how these impacts would change should the selected countries collectively set their public stocks to either a low or high level. Results show that the strongest impacts would occur during the three-year transition period when countries adjust their public stocks to the new levels, but that there would also be structural impacts over the medium term, although at a lower intensity, on procurement, domestic and international prices, availability, private stock levels, and public expenditure. In the event of a global production shock, the model projects that the immediate impact on prices and availability would be less severe under the high public stock scenario, but that recovery would be faster and public expenditure lower when countries hold smaller public stocks.
This study develops and applies a rigorous methodology to estimate the incidence of counterfeit and pirated items in world trade. This methodology can be used in the future to refine the assessment as the quality and quantity of data improve. The study also provides an analysis of the market for counterfeit and pirated goods and the effects on various affected parties, ranging from the owners of the intellectual property rights, to consumers and governments. The study also provides a number of in-depth snapshots of different industry sectors, highlighting how those sectors are affected by counterfeiting and piracy, and how they are responding.
Counterfeiting and piracy are illicit businesses in which criminal networks thrive. The report shows that the items that they and other counterfeiters and pirates produce and distribute are often substandard and can even be dangerous, posing health and safety risks that range from mild to life-threatening. Economy-wide, counterfeiting and piracy undermine innovation, which is key to economic growth.
The magnitude and effects of counterfeiting and piracy are of such significance that they compel strong and sustained action from governments, business and consumers. More effective enforcement is critical in this regard, as is the need to build public support to combat the counterfeiting and piracy. Increased co-operation between governments, and with industry, would be beneficial, as would better data collection.
Export restrictions on raw materials are applied to achieve a number of policy objectives. However, they can have a significant and negative impact on the efficient allocation of resources, international trade, and the competitiveness and development of industries in both exporting and importing countries.
By diverting exports to domestic markets, export restrictions raise prices for foreign consumers and importers. At the same time, by reducing domestic prices in the applying countries and increasing global uncertainty concerning future prices, export restrictions negatively affect investment, thus potentially reducing the overall supply of raw materials in the long term. In view of existing alternative policy tools that have a different impact on trade, the effectiveness of export restrictions to achieve stated policy objectives should be carefully reviewed.
This publication presents a selection of papers discussed at the OECD Workshop on Raw Materials, held in Paris in October 2009. This workshop was organised in response to the growing concern on the use of export restrictions on raw materials, particularly by emerging economies.
This book retraces the Communities' external liberalisation efforts, and discusses, where relevant, the repercussions of internal liberalisation on foreign competitors. The aim of this book is to clarify, and when feasible, to quantify the economic effects of the EU’s trade policies. To this end, it provides an overview of past liberalisation efforts, reviews trade indicators in international comparison and lays out the future trade agenda of the Community. According to the empirical evidence provided in this volume, integration in Europe does not seem to have entailed much trade diversion, while trade is likely to have boosted area-wide income significantly. It is openness in general, rather than regional integration, that has favoured growth in Europe.
The Arrangement on Guidelines for Officially Supported Export Credits celebrates its twentieth birthday this year. The 'Arrangement', as the Guidelines are usually known, is a unique form of international co-operation: as a 'gentlemen's agreement', it has no formal status in law – and yet it has brought order to the supply of export credits (government subsidies to exporters), thus saving billions of dollars of taxpayers' money. Thanks to the Arrangement, exporters in OECD countries now compete on the basis of quality and price, not according to the degree of support they receive from the state. Progressive improvements in the Arrangement, moreover, have extended its coverage, preventing trade distortion and subsidy in the form of tied aid and unrealistic premium fees.
In this collection of essays, past and present negotiators of the Arrangement's guidelines, Presidents and Chief Executives of export credit agencies, international institutions, private-sector players, economists and others involved with the Arrangement from its earliest days chart its evolution – its inception and progressive expansion, the difficulties encountered and problems solved. They examine the sources of the flexibility that has made the Arrangement so successful in adapting to the changing, globalising world economy. Some of the contributions offer candid insights into the closed world of international negotiations. Others document the response of the Arrangement to the growing sophistication of financial and insurance services. All of them shed light on this increasingly important aspect of international trade.
This book will be required reading for anyone interested in the world trading system and the role of export credits in particular, in the relationship between trade and aid, and in international co-operation in general.
The Impact of Regulation on International Investment in Finland examines what drives FDI into Finland and which domestic regulatory aspects may discourage foreign investment. The report analyses trends in FDI flows towards Finland and other Nordic-Baltic countries and discusses the benefits of foreign investment for the Finnish economy. It provides a comparative overview of the regulatory frameworks in force in Finland and its Nordic-Baltic peers, outlining both economy-wide and sector-specific findings, and explores how changes in these regulatory frameworks are linked to changes in FDI inflows in the region. Foreign investors’ views on Finland’s business environment complement these findings. The report underlines potential areas for reform and suggests policy actions that could further improve Finland’s investment climate and contribute to attracting and retaining more FDI, while also strengthening its positive impact.
Agricultural trade disputes over issues such as beef hormones and genetically modified organisms have received wide public attention and illustrated the trade-off between domestic and international policy objectives. This report examines pertinent issues at the interface between domestic policy objectives, technical regulations and agricultural trade. It also discusses approaches to measuring the trade impacts of food safety and other technical measures, and presents empirical evidence concerning the trade effects of resolving controversial food safety issues.
This report aims at assisting tax authorities in designing and implementing an effective Value Added Tax/Goods and Services Tax (VAT/GST) policy response to the growth of the sharing and gig economy. The rise of this phenomenon, powered by digital platforms, has transformed a number of industries within just a few short years. It involves large numbers of new economic operators (often private individuals), who monetise (often) underutilised goods and services by offering these, via digital platforms, for temporary (“shared”) use by primarily private consumers. Questions have been raised whether existing VAT/GST policy and administration frameworks are sufficiently capable of dealing with this new economic reality notably with a view to protecting VAT/GST revenue and minimising economic distortions. This report sets out the core components of a comprehensive VAT/GST policy strategy for tax authorities to consider in response. It analyses the key features of the sharing and gig economy and its main business models; identifies the associated VAT/GST challenges and opportunities; and presents a wide range of possible measures and approaches to support an effective policy response. This includes detailed guidance on the possible role of digital platforms in facilitating and enhancing VAT/GST compliance in the sharing and gig economy.
This report provides an in-depth analysis of major reforms undertaken between 2014 and 2018 to promote micro, small and medium-sized enterprise development in Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, the Palestinian Authority and Tunisia. The report focuses on five strategic areas for SME policy making: SME definitions, statistics and institutions; improving business environments for SMEs and entrepreneurs; fostering access to finance; nurturing start-ups and SME growth; and the development of entrepreneurial human capital.
The report aims to showcase good practices and to point to areas where more efforts are needed. It provides valuable guidance for governments, private sector organisations, multilateral bodies and other stakeholders to intensify their efforts to support SMEs as essential vehicles for jobs and competitiveness. This is particularly relevant in a region striving to boost economic diversification, employment creation and the inclusion of youth and women in the economy.
The report is the result of a process of close collaboration among governments, the OECD, the European Training Foundation and the European Commission.
The Uruguay Round Agreement on Agriculture (URAA) was a turning point in the reform of the agricultural trade system. It imposed disciplines on trade-distorting domestic policies and established new rules in the areas of market access and export competition. How effective have the three disciplines contained in the URAA been in bringing about a reduction in the level of production-related support and protection? Which elements of the disciplines have proved effective and which ineffective? What policy lessons can be drawn from the experience so far? What might be inferred about opportunities and challenges for further trade liberalisation? This report provides some answers to these questions for all OECD countries.
A key conclusion of the report is that the immediate quantitative effects of the URAA on trade and protection levels have been modest. The reasons for this include the weakness of many specific features of the URAA including implementation and methodological issues.
Countries have already embarked on a new round of multilateral trade negotiations on agriculture. The challenge facing policy makers is to build upon the foundation of the URAA to further reduce trade distortions. This requires strengthening the disciplines already established under the URAA and addressing those weaknesses of the current agreement which have been identified in this study.
Latin America is looking towards China and Asia -- and China and Asia are looking right back. This is a major shift: for the first time in its history, Latin America can benefit from not one but three major engines of world growth. Until the 1980s, the United States was the region’s major trade partner. In the 1990s, a second growth engine emerged with the European investment boom in Latin America. Now, at the dawn of the new century, the increasing global economic importance of Asia, and in particular China, potentially provides a third engine of growth.
This book describes the opportunities and challenges that Latin American economies will face as Chinese importance in the world economy -- and in Latin America's traditional markets -- continues to grow.
The path towards Arab and Euro-Mediterranean integration is challenging for all countries involved but the potential long term benefits are substantial. Multilateral trade initiatives which run parallel to "open" regional integration with the European Union and among Arab states can generate higher economic growth by promoting free trade in goods, services and assets between developed and developing countries. However these agreements have profound implications for Arab states in the region raising old and new issues in the political economy of regional co-operation and development. The body of evidence presented suggests that if these regional trade arrangements combined, allow for "deeper" forms of integration, competitiveness and cohesion can improve well beyond the Eastern and Southern borders of the EU.
Poverty reduction through economic growth is becoming a more urgent shared objective at this time of crisis and represents another potential long term benefit from deeper Euro-Med and Arab integration. In negotiating free trade agreements the EU must therefore strive to make such agreements as equitable as possible; in implementing them, partner countries must focus reform efforts to ensure their efficacy. Arab and Euro-Mediterranean integration can ideally maximise benefits for all countries involved, in spite of signficant legal, institutional and administrative hurdles that will have to be overcome to make such relationships workable.
The new issues examined in this book (the dynamics of open regionalism, the expansion of domestic markets from increased FDI and monetary stability, and the optimal mix of regional trade agreements) build on conclusions from previous studies regarding modest gains from shallow integration. Deeper regional agreements can be good for growth and stability in a region which has experienced very little of both in recent years.