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Publication
Personal Income Tax Piggybacking
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2023-03-17)Personal income tax (PIT) piggybacking is a local surcharge levied by Subnational government (SNGs) on top of the taxable personal income or on the personal income tax liability already being levied by the central government. In contrast to tax sharing arrangements, piggybacking provides more SNG autonomy since the SNG is granted the power to set and levy the piggybacking rate, typically within certain bounds established by the central government, thereby strengthening the accountability between SNGs and their residents. Different versions of PIT piggybacking have been implemented largely in high-income countries, including Denmark, Norway, US, Canada, Spain, and Portugal. Croatia, a middle-income country, has adopted a PIT piggybacking system. While PIT piggybacking is an important source of SNG revenue in these countries, if Indonesia were to adopt a PIT piggyback, it would be one of the first few major middle-income countries to do so. -
Publication
Towards a More Equitable Development: Constraints and Opportunities for Women in Djibouti
(Washington, DC, 2023-03-17)Djibouti has experienced a record of strong economic growth and has made considerable progress in various developmental indicators in recent years. Despite this important progress, major challenges remain as Djibouti’s development has not been equitable nor inclusive, including from a gender perspective. Djibouti has experienced dynamic social change reflected in the considerable improvement over the years in women’s rights and responsibilities as well as their access to opportunities, but the patriarchal societal structure and the disconnect between constitutional and legal frameworks continue to impede women. This gender assessment provides a comprehensive view of the status of women in Djibouti along three dimensions: endowments in human capital, economic opportunities, as well as voice and agency, which encompasses issues such as gender based violence, decision making, and political participation, among others. -
Publication
North Macedonia Public Finance Review - Education
(Washington, DC, 2023-03-17)This section of the Public Finance Review (PFR) assesses the level, quality, efficiency, and equity of public spending on education in North Macedonia and recommends policies that could increase efficiency as well as outcomes. It also examines the status of recent education reforms in the country and provides directions that can contribute to a better education system in North Macedonia. -
Publication
The Costs of Environmental Degradation from Plastic Pollution in Selected Coastal Areas in the United Republic of Tanzania: Technical Report
(World Bank, Washington DC, 2023-03-16)Plastic waste negatively impacts ecosystems, public health, and local economies in Tanzania. For example, marine plastic and microplastic wastes contaminate beaches, sea grass areas and coral reef habitats, lower the quality of marine ecosystems and biodiversity, and endanger bird and marine wildlife through entanglement and the ingestion of plastics of different sizes. They also endanger human health through food chains. Valuation of the costs of environmental degradation (COED) from marine plastic pollution helps the country to understand the scale of the impacts and prioritize activities for mitigation of these impacts. This study developed the methodology to estimate the COED in the selected coastal areas in Zanzibar and Dar es Salaam. It is the first of its kind for valuing the impacts of marine plastic wastes on local economic sectors, public health, and marine ecosystems. The valuation results reveal that marine plastics pollution causes a net economic cost to the local economic activities, especially tourism, and the natural environment of study areas, and that in some areas costs can be quite significant. The analysis of the costs across study areas and sectors is useful for prioritizing marine plastic pollution management activities. -
Publication
South Asia Second Regional Gender Action Plan (RGAP) II, 2023–2028
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2023-03-16)The focus and approach of South Asia Second Regional Gender Action Plan (SAR RGAP) are based on an analysis of regional trends in key gender outcomes in South Asia, an assessment of SAR RGAP, and an extensive set of consultations, including country-level consultations conducted across the WBG. Implementation of SAR RGAP will take place in the context of the WBG’s broader strategy for gender and the latest International Development Association (IDA) commitments. The World Bank Group Gender Strategy prioritizes four domains of gender equality: (a) improving human endowments, (b) more and better jobs for men and women, (c) women’s access to productive assets, and (d) improving women’s voice and agency and engaging men and boys (WBG 2015). An update of the Gender Strategy is currently under preparation, with completion expected in 2024. SAR RGAP aligns with this broader strategy but is also selective and therefore focuses on the most pressing gender gaps in the region. SAR RGAP also follows the December 2021 IDA replenishment, aligning with all eight of its policy commitments for gender: (i) investing in women’s empowerment, (ii) scaling up productive economic inclusion, (iii) expanding childcare, (iv) supporting medium, and high-skilled employment opportunities for women, (v) closing the gap in digital technology, (vi) strengthening women’s land rights, (vii) increasing support for prevention of and response to GBV, and (viii) implementing fiscal policy and budget systems to close gender gaps.