IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/ags/afjecr/264286.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Creating Fiscal Space for Social Sectors Development in Tanzania

Author

Listed:
  • Kessy, Flora Lucas
  • Ngowi, Daniel

Abstract

This paper discusses fiscal space creation and use in the context of development of social sectors in Tanzania. The paper observes that Tanzania is making good progress in creating and using her fiscal space. The priority being accorded to social sectors, especially in education and health is in the right direction. However, weaknesses in tax administration, imprudent tax exemptions, high debt service, excessive reliance on external funding, and high administrative expenditures dampen the robustness of the fiscal space. In this regard, the paper argues that there is a need for creating additional fiscal space through re-prioritization of spending, especially by reducing the size of government, scaling up mobilization of domestic revenue, including reducing or eliminating tax exemptions, broadening the tax base and reducing external debt to sustainable levels. In tandem, the available fiscal space has to be used more effectively and efficiently, and progressively increasing social sector’s funding to meet internationally agreed commitments and targets.

Suggested Citation

  • Kessy, Flora Lucas & Ngowi, Daniel, . "Creating Fiscal Space for Social Sectors Development in Tanzania," African Journal of Economic Review, African Journal of Economic Review, vol. 1(01).
    • Handle: RePEc:ags:afjecr:264286
    DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.264286
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://ageconsearch.umn.edu/record/264286/files/116300-323138-1-SM.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://ageconsearch.umn.edu/record/264286/files/116300-323138-1-SM.pdf?subformat=pdfa
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.22004/ag.econ.264286?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Ranis, Gustav & Stewart, Frances & Ramirez, Alejandro, 2000. "Economic Growth and Human Development," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 28(2), pages 197-219, February.
    2. Carmen M. Reinhart & Kenneth S. Rogoff, 2010. "Growth in a Time of Debt," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 100(2), pages 573-578, May.
    3. World Bank, 2011. "United Republic of Tanzania - Public Expenditure Review 2010," World Bank Publications - Reports 2789, The World Bank Group.
    4. Mr. Peter S. Heller, 2005. "Understanding Fiscal Space," IMF Policy Discussion Papers 2005/004, International Monetary Fund.
    5. Tanzi, Vito & Zee, Howell H., 2000. "Tax Policy for Emerging Markets: Developing Countries," National Tax Journal, National Tax Association;National Tax Journal, vol. 53(2), pages 299-322, June.
    6. Easterly, William & Kraay, Aart, 1999. "Small states, small problems?," Policy Research Working Paper Series 2139, The World Bank.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Sèna Kimm Gnangnon & Jean-François Brun, 2020. "Tax reform and fiscal space in developing countries," Eurasian Economic Review, Springer;Eurasia Business and Economics Society, vol. 10(2), pages 237-265, June.
    2. João Basilio Pereima & Manuela Merki & Fernando Motta Correia, 2016. "Economic Growth And Public Debt: Addressing Unobserved Heterogeneity," Anais do XLIII Encontro Nacional de Economia [Proceedings of the 43rd Brazilian Economics Meeting] 101, ANPEC - Associação Nacional dos Centros de Pós-Graduação em Economia [Brazilian Association of Graduate Programs in Economics].
    3. Leanora Alecia Brown & Jorge Martinez-Vazquez, 2015. "International Debt Forgiveness: Who Gets Picked and Its Effect On The Tax Effort Of Developing Countries," International Center for Public Policy Working Paper Series, at AYSPS, GSU paper1504, International Center for Public Policy, Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, Georgia State University.
    4. Takumi Naito, 2013. "Aid for trade, infrastructure, and growth," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 20(6), pages 886-909, December.
    5. Jiao Li & Duccio Gamannossi degl'Innocenti & Matthew D. Rablen, 2023. "Marketed tax avoidance: an economic analysis," Scandinavian Journal of Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 125(3), pages 753-788, July.
    6. John E. Anderson, 2014. "Informal Payments to the Tax Collector in Transition Countries," Ekonomi-tek - International Economics Journal, Turkish Economic Association, vol. 3(2), pages 1-26, May.
    7. Thomas, P Mini, 2015. "Tax contribution of service sector: An empirical study of service taxation in India," Working Papers 344, Institute for Social and Economic Change, Bangalore.
    8. Ms. Janet Gale Stotsky & Ms. Asegedech WoldeMariam, 2002. "Central American Tax Reform: Trends and Possibilities," IMF Working Papers 2002/227, International Monetary Fund.
    9. repec:idq:ictduk:13683 is not listed on IDEAS
    10. Godin, M. & Hindriks, J., 2015. "A Review of Critical Issues on Tax Design and Tax Administration in a Global Economy and Developing Countries," LIDAM Discussion Papers CORE 2015028, Université catholique de Louvain, Center for Operations Research and Econometrics (CORE).
    11. Nancy Birdsall & Liliana Rojas-Suarez (ed.), 2004. "Financing Development: The Power of Regionalism," Peterson Institute Press: All Books, Peterson Institute for International Economics, number 359, October.
    12. Ehrhart, Hélène & Minea, Alexandru & Villieu, Patrick, 2014. "Debt, seigniorage, and the Growth Laffer Curve in developing countries," Journal of Macroeconomics, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 199-210.
    13. Ioannidis, Yiorgos, 2015. "The political economy of the distributional character of the Greek taxation system (1995–2008)," MPRA Paper 64033, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    14. Hermann D. Yohou & Michaël Goujon & Wautabouna Ouattara, 2016. "Heterogeneous Aid Effects on Tax Revenues: Accounting for Government Stability in WAEMU Countries," Journal of African Economies, Centre for the Study of African Economies, vol. 25(3), pages 468-498.
    15. Mini P. Thomas, 2017. "Empirics of service taxation in India: a macroeconomic perspective," Journal of Social and Economic Development, Springer;Institute for Social and Economic Change, vol. 19(1), pages 143-160, April.
    16. Milan Sedmihradsky & Stanislav Klazar, 2002. "Tax Competition for FDI in Central-European Countries," CESifo Working Paper Series 647, CESifo.
    17. Keita, Kady & Rabaud, Isabelle & Turcu, Camelia, 2023. "Fiscal outcomes, current account imbalances, and institutions in Europe: Exploring nonlinearities," International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 175(C), pages 121-134.
    18. Wontae Han & Jian Wang & Xiao Wang, 2024. "Benefits of foreign direct investment subsidies: The role of funding sources," Pacific Economic Review, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(1), pages 88-126, February.
    19. Ali Merima & Shifa Abdulaziz B. & Shimeles Abebe & Woldeyes Firew, 2017. "Working Paper 290 - Building Fiscal Capacity The role of ICT," Working Paper Series 2404, African Development Bank.
    20. Merima Ali & Abdulaziz B. Shifa & Abebe Shimeles & Firew Woldeyes, 2021. "Building Fiscal Capacity in Developing Countries: Evidence on the Role of Information Technology," National Tax Journal, University of Chicago Press, vol. 74(3), pages 591-620.
    21. Kasuga, Hidefumi & Morita, Yuichi, 2012. "Aid effectiveness, governance and public investment," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 29(2), pages 514-521.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:ags:afjecr:264286. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: AgEcon Search (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.ajol.info/index.php/ajer/index .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.