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Budget Balance Through Spending Cuts Or Tax Adjustments?

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  • Ali F. Darrat

Abstract

This article explores the causal (lead/lag) relation between government spending and taxation in two developing countries (Lebanon and Tunisia). Both countries have suffered from large budget deficit and/or national debt problems, particularly since the early 1990s. Empirical results deduced from a battery of tests suggest that decisions to spend and tax are significantly interdependent in both countries. Moreover, the evidence is consistent with the notion that raising taxes (working primarily through aroused public awareness) provokes spending cuts. Thus, higher taxes seem an optimal resolution to the deficit predicament in both countries.

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  • Ali F. Darrat, 2002. "Budget Balance Through Spending Cuts Or Tax Adjustments?," Contemporary Economic Policy, Western Economic Association International, vol. 20(3), pages 221-233, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:coecpo:v:20:y:2002:i:3:p:221-233
    DOI: 10.1093/cep/20.3.221
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    Cited by:

    1. Arcade NDORICIMPA, 2017. "Analysis of Asymmetries in the Tax-Spending Nexus in Burundi," Journal of Economics and Political Economy, KSP Journals, vol. 4(1), pages 53-70, March.
    2. Yaya Keho, 2010. "Spending Cuts or Tax Adjustments: How Can UEMOA Countries Control Their Budget Deficits?," International Journal of Business and Economics, School of Management Development, Feng Chia University, Taichung, Taiwan, vol. 9(3), pages 233-252, December.
    3. Oyeyinka OMOSHORO-JONES, 2020. "Investigating The Government Revenue–Expenditure Nexus: Empirical Evidence For The Free State Province In A Multivariate Model," Theoretical and Practical Research in the Economic Fields, ASERS Publishing, vol. 11(2), pages 138-156.
    4. Temel Gurdal & Mucahit Aydin & Veysel Inal, 2021. "The relationship between tax revenue, government expenditure, and economic growth in G7 countries: new evidence from time and frequency domain approaches," Economic Change and Restructuring, Springer, vol. 54(2), pages 305-337, May.
    5. James E. Payne, 2003. "A Survey of the International Empirical Evidence on the Tax-Spend Debate," Public Finance Review, , vol. 31(3), pages 302-324, May.
    6. Bassam AbuAl-Foul & Hamid Baghestani, 2004. "The causal relation between government revenue and spending: Evidence from Egypt and Jordan," Journal of Economics and Finance, Springer;Academy of Economics and Finance, vol. 28(2), pages 260-269, June.

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