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Social Impact of a Tax Reform: The Case of Ethiopia

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  • Ms. Sònia Muñoz
  • Stanley Sang-Wook Cho

Abstract

This paper provides an assessment of the poverty and social impact of replacing Ethiopia's sales tax with a value-added tax (VAT). The results indicate that this reform has not had a major adverse effect on the poorest 40 percent of the population. The VAT is progressive in its incidence, and the higher revenues brought about by the VAT can provide additional funds for poverty-reducing spending, including primary education. At the same time, there is significant scope for making education spending more pro-poor by increasing the access of low-income households to schools.

Suggested Citation

  • Ms. Sònia Muñoz & Stanley Sang-Wook Cho, 2003. "Social Impact of a Tax Reform: The Case of Ethiopia," IMF Working Papers 2003/232, International Monetary Fund.
    • Handle: RePEc:imf:imfwpa:2003/232
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    Cited by:

    1. Bachas, Pierre & Gadenne, Lucie & Jensen, Anders, 2020. "Informality, Consumption Taxes and Redistribution," The Warwick Economics Research Paper Series (TWERPS) 1277, University of Warwick, Department of Economics.
    2. Asatryan, Zareh & Gomtsyan, David, 2020. "The incidence of VAT evasion," ZEW Discussion Papers 20-027, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.
    3. Cornia, Giovanni Andrea & Martorano, Bruno, 2017. "Income Inequality Trends in sub-Saharan Africa: Divergence, determinants and consequences: Inequality and Growth in an Agricultural-led Development Model: The case of Ethiopia over 1995-2011," UNDP Africa Reports 267649, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
    4. Keen, Michael & Lockwood, Ben, 2010. "The value added tax: Its causes and consequences," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 92(2), pages 138-151, July.
    5. Sijbren Cnossen, 2015. "Mobilizing VAT revenues in African countries," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 22(6), pages 1077-1108, December.
    6. Christian E. Weller & Manita Rao, 2008. "Can Progressive Taxation Contribute to Economic Development?," Working Papers wp176, Political Economy Research Institute, University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
    7. Dorothée Boccanfuso & Celine de Quatrebarbes & Luc Savard, 2011. "Can the removal of VAT Exemptions support the Poor? The Case of Niger," CERDI Working papers halshs-00577148, HAL.
    8. Jean-Louis COMBES & Gérard CHAMBAS & Joseph G. ATTILA, 2009. "Aide publique au développement et transition fiscale," Working Papers 200901, CERDI.
    9. Mr. Michael Keen, 2012. "Taxation and Development: Again," IMF Working Papers 2012/220, International Monetary Fund.
    10. Kalle Hirvonen & Giulia Mascagni & Keetie Roelen, 2018. "Linking taxation and social protection: Evidence on redistribution and poverty reduction in Ethiopia," International Social Security Review, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 71(1), pages 3-24, January.
    11. Daniel Abraham Mengistu, 2014. "The Impact of Fiscal Policy on Poverty in Ethiopia: a Computable General Equilibrium Microsimulation Analysis," Ethiopian Journal of Economics, Ethiopian Economics Association, vol. 22(1), November.
    12. Oya Pinar Ardic & Burcay Erus & Gurcan Soydan, 2010. "An evaluation of indirect taxes in Turkey," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 30(4), pages 2787-2801.
    13. UNDP Regional Bureau for Africa & Bruno Martorano & Giovanni Andrea Cornia, "undated". "Inequality and Growth in an Agricultural-led Development Model: The case of Ethiopia over 1995-2011," UNDP Africa Policy Notes 2017-14, United Nations Development Programme, Regional Bureau for Africa.
    14. Ada Jansen & Elizabeth Stoltz & Derek Yu, 2012. "Improving the targeting of zero-rated basic foodstuffs under value added tax (VAT) in South Africa - An exploratory analysis," Working Papers 07/2012, Stellenbosch University, Department of Economics.
    15. Raghbendra Jha & T. Palanivel, 2007. "Resource Augmentation for Meeting the Millennium Development Goals in the Asia Pacific Region," Departmental Working Papers 2007-02, The Australian National University, Arndt-Corden Department of Economics.
    16. Kalle Hirvonen & Giulia Mascagni & Keetie Roelen, 2018. "Linking taxation and social protection: Evidence on redistribution and poverty reduction in Ethiopia," International Social Security Review, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 71(1), pages 3-24, January.
    17. Gervasio SEMEDO & Bertrand LAPORTE & Asbath ALASSANI, 2022. "How does tax structure affect income inequality? Empirical evidence from Sub-Saharan Africa," LEO Working Papers / DR LEO 2960, Orleans Economics Laboratory / Laboratoire d'Economie d'Orleans (LEO), University of Orleans.
    18. repec:rac:ecchap:2017-14 is not listed on IDEAS
    19. Afrika Ndongozi-Nsabimana, 2020. "Tax revenues and social protection financing in African and Latin American countries," Post-Print hal-03098695, HAL.
    20. Bird, Richard M. & Zolt, Eric M., 2005. "The limited role of the personal income tax in developing countries," Journal of Asian Economics, Elsevier, vol. 16(6), pages 928-946, December.
    21. Rodrigo Cubero & Ivanna Vladkova Hollar, 2010. "Equity and Fiscal Policy: The Income Distribution Effects of Taxation and Social Spending in Central America," IMF Working Papers 2010/112, International Monetary Fund.
    22. P Sivashankar & RMPS Rathnayake & Maneka Jayasinghe & Christine Smith, 2017. "Incidence of value added taxation on inequality: Evidence from Sri Lanka," Discussion Papers in Economics economics:201704, Griffith University, Department of Accounting, Finance and Economics.

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