The Distributional Impact of Taxes and Social Spending in Croatia
This paper describes the impact of fiscal policy on inequality and poverty, and examines recent policy changes and whether there is room for an increased role for fiscal policy in improving the well-being of the poor. Taxes and social spending reduced inequality in Croatia; however, once the impacts of indirect taxes are considered, the system is unable to reduce poverty, especially for families with children and retirees. Beginning in the second decile, households are net payers to the treasury, as the share of taxes paid exceeded the cash benefits received for all but the poorest 10 percent of the population. Microsimulations of recent tax changes find that inequality after taxes and transfers is expected to increase slightly in 2017, as most of the benefits of the reform were concentrated at the top of the distribution. Although the impact of lower value-added taxes on electricity and utility bills is expected to be slightly poverty reducing, this effect is small relative to the relief that is needed. A reduction in the standard value-added tax rate from 25 to 24 percent would result in a small decline in poverty and inequality. However, the impact may be much smaller, depending on how this measure would be financed.
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Working Paper biblioteca |
| Language: | English en_US |
| Published: |
World Bank, Washington, DC
2017-09
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| Subjects: | FISCAL POLICY, FISCAL INCIDENCE, SOCIAL SPENDING, INEQUALITY, POVERTY, TAXATION, |
| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/605341506024423991/The-distributional-impact-of-taxes-and-social-spending-in-Croatia https://hdl.handle.net/10986/28448 |
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| Summary: | This paper describes the impact of
fiscal policy on inequality and poverty, and examines recent
policy changes and whether there is room for an increased
role for fiscal policy in improving the well-being of the
poor. Taxes and social spending reduced inequality in
Croatia; however, once the impacts of indirect taxes are
considered, the system is unable to reduce poverty,
especially for families with children and retirees.
Beginning in the second decile, households are net payers to
the treasury, as the share of taxes paid exceeded the cash
benefits received for all but the poorest 10 percent of the
population. Microsimulations of recent tax changes find that
inequality after taxes and transfers is expected to increase
slightly in 2017, as most of the benefits of the reform were
concentrated at the top of the distribution. Although the
impact of lower value-added taxes on electricity and utility
bills is expected to be slightly poverty reducing, this
effect is small relative to the relief that is needed. A
reduction in the standard value-added tax rate from 25 to 24
percent would result in a small decline in poverty and
inequality. However, the impact may be much smaller,
depending on how this measure would be financed. |
|---|