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Tax Revenues, Development, and the Fiscal Cost of Trade Liberalization, 1792-2006

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  • Cage, Julia

    (Sciences Po Paris, Department of Economics,)

  • Gadenne, Lucie

    (Department of Economics, University of Warwick & Institute for Fiscal Studies,)

Abstract

This paper documents the scal cost of trade liberalization: the extent to which countries are able to recover the trade tax revenues lost from liberalizing trade by increasing tax revenues from other sources. Using a novel dataset on government revenues over the period 1792-2006 we compare the fiscal impact of trade liberalization in developing countries and in today's rich countries at earlier stages of development. We nd that trade liberalization episodes led to larger and longer-lived decreases in total tax revenues in developing countries since the 1970s than in rich countries in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Half the developing countries in our sample experience a fall in total tax revenues that lasts more than ten years after an episode. Results are similar when we consider government expenditures, suggesting decreases in trade tax revenues negatively affect governments' capacity to provide public services in many developing countries.

Suggested Citation

  • Cage, Julia & Gadenne, Lucie, 2016. "Tax Revenues, Development, and the Fiscal Cost of Trade Liberalization, 1792-2006," The Warwick Economics Research Paper Series (TWERPS) 1132, University of Warwick, Department of Economics.
  • Handle: RePEc:wrk:warwec:1132
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    Cited by:

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    2. Rawan F. Shubita & Taleb Awad Warrad, 2018. "The Effects of International Trade Openness on Government Revenue: Empirical Evidence from Middle East and North African Region Countries," International Journal of Economics and Financial Issues, Econjournals, vol. 8(1), pages 153-160.
    3. Jaime de Melo, 2020. "A Dashboard for Trade Policy Diagnostics," Working Papers hal-03004368, HAL.
    4. Asatryan, Zareh & Castellón, César & Stratmann, Thomas, 2018. "Balanced budget rules and fiscal outcomes: Evidence from historical constitutions," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 167(C), pages 105-119.
    5. Gadenne, Lucie, 2018. "Do Ration Shop Systems Increase Welfare? Theory and an Application to India," The Warwick Economics Research Paper Series (TWERPS) 1149, University of Warwick, Department of Economics.
    6. Fawzi Banao & Bertrand Laporte, 2022. "Terrorism, Customs and fraudulent Gold exports in Africa," CERDI Working papers hal-03889094, HAL.
    7. Brun, Jean-François & Gnangnon, Sèna Kimm, 2017. "Does trade openness contribute to driving financing flows for development?," WTO Staff Working Papers ERSD-2017-06, World Trade Organization (WTO), Economic Research and Statistics Division.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • H10 - Public Economics - - Structure and Scope of Government - - - General
    • H20 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - General
    • F13 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Trade Policy; International Trade Organizations
    • O17 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Formal and Informal Sectors; Shadow Economy; Institutional Arrangements

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