Publication: Estimating Economic Benefits for Revenue Administration Reform Projects
Loading...
Date
2007-03
ISSN
Published
2007-03
Author(s)
Editor(s)
Abstract
The World Bank relies in part on economic benefit estimates to evaluate the merits of investment projects. Recent lending operations for revenue administrations in Vietnam have led to some rethinking of these calculations. This Note shares their findings and it also provides some pointers that may be useful in estimating the economic benefits of revenue reform projects. Earlier estimates and their shortcomings are closely looked at, as well as customs administration and tax administration. This guidance can also assist in preparation of the technical annex of the financial and economic analysis of individual projects as required by World Bank guidelines.
Link to Data Set
Citation
“Pham, Duc Minh; Minh Le, Tuan; De Wulf, Luc. 2007. Estimating Economic Benefits for Revenue Administration Reform Projects. PREM Notes; No. 112. © World Bank. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/11169 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”
Associated URLs
Associated content
Other publications in this report series
Journal
Journal Volume
Journal Issue
Collections
Related items
Showing items related by metadata.
Publication Tax Reform in Vietnam(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2011-09-30)In 2010, after two decades of rapid economic growth, Vietnam passed the threshold to become a lower-middle-income economy. Sustained market-oriented reforms combined with intensive efforts to integrate into the world economy are among the key drivers of this achievement. The reform of tax policy and administration has been a vital part of this transition. This is leading to a fundamental change in the composition of taxpayers, from large state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and foreign-invested companies to a myriad of small and medium private enterprises. Economic transition is also leading to an equally important change in the sources of government revenue, away from cross-border trade-related taxes and revenue collection from crude oil toward a greater share of domestic tax revenue, in particular taxation of business profits, labor income, and capital gains on land. However, completing the transition to a market economy will require changes going beyond tax collection and administration procedures, and will involve changes to the tax instruments themselves. At the end of this process, Vietnam should have a set of taxes that is simple and transparent, secures a stable flow of revenues for the government, encourages an efficient allocation of resources, and does not risk constituting a source of inequality or unfairness. The purpose of the series of studies in this volume is to shed light on the issues Vietnam will be facing in the process of reforming its tax policy and administration. The studies are also expected to lead to concrete policy recommendations contributing to the preparation of key policies and legislative documents to ensure the achievement of the state budget revenue target and other tax administration reform targets in the SEDP 2011-2015. It is expected that the individual studies in this series will become useful inputs into the debate surrounding the issuance of new laws and regulations. It is also hoped that the volume will support the reform momentum in the tax policy area, leading to increased efficiency, transparency, and equity.Publication Integration of Revenue Administration : A Comparative Study of International Experience(Washington, DC, 2010)Revenue administration is a major point of contact between government and the people. Good revenue administration thus becomes an important feature of good governance. This fact has made policy makers increasingly mindful of the need to promote voluntary tax compliance by reducing the costs incurred by taxpayers to comply with their tax obligation. Promoting voluntary compliance is achieved through a set of measures that includes: (i) a self-assessment system, (ii) a well-designed compliance strategy based on risk management, (iii) good taxpayer services to help and educate taxpayers to meet their obligations, and (iv) simple and harmonized procedures for collection of different taxes and contributions. In the effort to harmonize procedures and minimize the need for citizens to respond to multiple agencies, many countries have integrated their revenue administrations, either by merging tax and customs administration, or by unifying collection of tax and social security contributions, or by both. Their experiences indicate that integrating collection also entails modernizing the revenue administration so that the contact between the tax office and the taxpayer is no longer physical but virtual, thanks to the extensive use of information and communication technology. The book focuses on how to plan and manage integration successfully and avoid the risks of failure. By examining four successful country cases in depth, and by reviewing selected themes in seven other country cases, the book has drawn attention to the need for a strong, visionary, and pragmatic leadership; a professional project team with strong skills and dedication; consensus building; and public support through effective communications.Publication Expanding Taxable Capacity and Reaching Revenue Potential : Cross-Country Analysis(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2008-03)An effective tax system is fundamental for successful country development. The first step to understand public revenue systems is to establish some commonly agreed performance measurements and benchmarks. This paper employs a cross-country study to estimate tax capacity from a sample of 104 countries during 1994-2003. The estimation results are then used as benchmarks to compare taxable capacity and tax effort in different countries. Taxable capacity refers to the predicted tax-gross domestic product ratio that can be estimated with the regression, taking into account a country's specific economic, demographic, and institutional features. Tax effort is defined as an index of the ratio between the share of the actual tax collection in gross domestic product and the predicted taxable capacity. The authors classify countries into four distinct groups by their level of actual tax collection and attained tax effort. This classification is based on the benchmark of the global average of tax collection and a tax effort index of 1 (when tax collection is exactly the same as the estimated taxable capacity). The analysis provides guidance for countries with various levels of tax collection and tax effort.Publication Bangladesh - Revenue Mobilization Program for Results: VAT Improvement Program Technical Assessment(Washington, DC, 2014-01)This operation will support the VAT Improvement Program to assist the National Board of Revenue (NBR) in streamlining and modernizing Value Added Tax (VAT) operations and establishing an integrated VAT Management System for the purposes of implementing the new regime. The primary focus of the program is to prepare the administration to be able to administer the new VAT, which is to be introduced in July 2015. The new VAT Act, 2012 provides for a modern VAT scheme based on few exemptions and self-assessment. The Act provides the legal basis for the new VAT administration, and the impetus for a shift from manual to automated and modernized core tax business processing. The program is part of the government s broader tax reform agenda as articulated in the Tax Modernization Plan 2011-16 (endorsed by Parliament in June 2011), which envisages policy and institutional reform alongside a program for automating NBR operations to improve services to taxpayers, reduce administrative costs for taxpayers, and improve compliance. The VAT improvement program aims to widen the tax base by enhancing voluntary compliance, and reducing non-compliance. The ultimate goals are to increase VAT revenues and enhance the transparency of the VAT administration in Bangladesh in order to achieve its medium-term revenue target of a tax-to GDP-ratio of 12.2 percent by FY 2016; and to enhance the VAT compliance. Towards this objective, the program will also address those structural weaknesses embedded in the tax system that result in skewed tax bases and provide wide opportunities for evasion and corruption. Importantly, the VAT improvement program will support the strategic reform agenda, also supported by the IMF s Extended Credit Facility to enable NBR to fully implement the new VAT law.Publication Enhancing Non-SACU Revenue in Swaziland : Improving Tax Policy and Administration(Washington, DC, 2010-12)The collapse of Southern African Customs Union (SACU) revenue in 2009 has caused the Government to consider enhancing new sources of revenue in earnest to sustain its development policies. Existing plans that were prepared more than 5 years ago to introduce the Value-Added Tax (VAT) and create a new Revenue Authority (RA) focused on improved compliance are therefore more relevant than ever. This initial preparation provides ample room to rapidly improve both the design of taxes and fees and tax administration to ensure they are in line with both Swaziland's unique policy context and sound economic principles. These principles include: (i) policy and administration harmonization with South Africa so that investors view both countries as offering the same tax benefits and to facilitate the seamless launch of the RA with the benefit of the necessary support from (and partial integration with) South Africa's operations; (ii) the ability to implement reform rapidly given the fiscal emergency; and (iii) the need for simple and resilient policy and administrative designs that are able to cope with limited administrative capacity and a history of out-of-control spending.
Users also downloaded
Showing related downloaded files
Publication The Mexican Social Protection System in Health(World Bank, Washington DC, 2013-01)With a population of 113 million and a per-capita Gross Domestic Product, or GDP of US$10,064 (current U.S. dollars), Mexico is one of the largest and highest-income countries in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). The country has benefited from sustained economic growth during the last decade, which was temporarily interrupted by the financial and economic crisis. Real GDP is projected to grow 3.8 percent and 3.6 percent in 2012 and 2013, respectively (International Monetary Fund, or IMF 2012). Despite this growth, poverty in the country remains high; with half of the population living below the national poverty line. The country is also highly heterogeneous, with large socioeconomic differences across states and across urban and rural areas. In 2010, while the extreme poverty ratio in the Federal District and the states of Colima and Nuevo Leon was below 3 percent, in Chiapas, Guerrero, and Oaxaca it was 25 percent or higher. These large regional differences are also found in other indicators of well-being, such as years of schooling, housing conditions, and access to social services. This case study assesses key features and achievements of the Social Protection System in Health (Sistema de Proteccion Social en Salud) in Mexico, and particularly of its main pillar, Popular Health Insurance (Seguro Popular, PHI). It analyzes the contribution of this policy to the establishment and implementation of universal health coverage in Mexico. In 2003, with the reform of the General Health Law, the PHI was institutionalized as a subsidized health insurance scheme open to the population not covered by the social security schemes. Today, the PHI covers all of its intended affiliates, about 52 million peoplePublication Argentina Country Climate and Development Report(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2022-11)The Argentina Country Climate and Development Report (CCDR) explores opportunities and identifies trade-offs for aligning Argentina’s growth and poverty reduction policies with its commitments on, and its ability to withstand, climate change. It assesses how the country can: reduce its vulnerability to climate shocks through targeted public and private investments and adequation of social protection. The report also shows how Argentina can seize the benefits of a global decarbonization path to sustain a more robust economic growth through further development of Argentina’s potential for renewable energy, energy efficiency actions, the lithium value chain, as well as climate-smart agriculture (and land use) options. Given Argentina’s context, this CCDR focuses on win-win policies and investments, which have large co-benefits or can contribute to raising the country’s growth while helping to adapt the economy, also considering how human capital actions can accompany a just transition.Publication Classroom Assessment to Support Foundational Literacy(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-03-21)This document focuses primarily on how classroom assessment activities can measure students’ literacy skills as they progress along a learning trajectory towards reading fluently and with comprehension by the end of primary school grades. The document addresses considerations regarding the design and implementation of early grade reading classroom assessment, provides examples of assessment activities from a variety of countries and contexts, and discusses the importance of incorporating classroom assessment practices into teacher training and professional development opportunities for teachers. The structure of the document is as follows. The first section presents definitions and addresses basic questions on classroom assessment. Section 2 covers the intersection between assessment and early grade reading by discussing how learning assessment can measure early grade reading skills following the reading learning trajectory. Section 3 compares some of the most common early grade literacy assessment tools with respect to the early grade reading skills and developmental phases. Section 4 of the document addresses teacher training considerations in developing, scoring, and using early grade reading assessment. Additional issues in assessing reading skills in the classroom and using assessment results to improve teaching and learning are reviewed in section 5. Throughout the document, country cases are presented to demonstrate how assessment activities can be implemented in the classroom in different contexts.Publication Guide to the Debt Management Performance Assessment Tool(Washington, DC, 2008-02-05)The purpose of this document is to provide guidance and supplemental information to assist with country assessments of debt management performance, using the Debt Management Performance Assessment (DeMPA) tool. The DeMPA is a methodology used for assessing public debt management performance through a comprehensive set of 15 performance indicators spanning the full range of government Debt Management (DeM) functions. It is based on the principles set out in the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank guidelines for public debt management, initially published in 2001 and updated in 2003. It is modeled after the Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability (PEFA) framework for performance measurement of public financial management. The DeMPA has been designed to be a user-friendly tool to undertake an assessment of the strengths and weaknesses in government DeM practices. This guide provides additional background and supporting information so that a no specialist in the area of debt management may undertake a country assessment effectively. The guide can be used by assessors in preparing for and undertaking an assessment. It is particularly useful for understanding the rationale for the inclusion of the indicators, the scoring methodology, and the list of supporting documents or evidence required, and the questions that could be asked for the assessment.Publication Crime and Violence in Central America : A Development Challenge - Main Report(World Bank, 2011-01-01)Crime and violence are now a key development issue for Central American countries. In three nations El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras crime rates are among the top five in Latin America. This report argues that successful strategies require actions along multiple fronts, combining prevention and criminal justice reform, together with regional approaches in the areas of drug trafficking and firearms. It also argues that interventions should be evidence based, starting with a clear understanding of the risk factors involved and ending with a careful evaluation of how any planned action might affect future options. In addition, the design of national crime reduction plans and the establishment of national cross-sectoral crime commissions are important steps to coordinate the actions of different government branches, ease cross-sectoral collaboration and prioritize resource allocation. Of equal importance is the fact that national plans offer a vehicle for the involvement of civil society organizations, in which much of the expertise in violence prevention and rehabilitation resides. Prevention efforts need to be complemented by effective law enforcement. The required reforms are no longer primarily legislative in nature because all six countries have advanced toward more transparent adversarial criminal procedures. The second-generation reforms should instead help deliver on the promises of previous reforms by: (i) strengthening key institutions and improving the quality and timeliness of the services they provide to citizens; (ii) improving efficiency and effectiveness while respecting due process and human rights; (iii) ensuring accountability and addressing corruption; (iv) increasing inter-agency collaboration; and (v) improving access to justice, especially for poor and disenfranchised groups. Specific interventions reviewed in the report include: information systems and performance indicators as a prerequisite to improve inter-institutional coordination and information sharing mechanisms; an internal overhaul of court administration and case management to create rapid reaction, one-stop shops; the strengthening of entities that provide legal counseling to the poor and to women; and the promotion of alternative dispute-resolution mechanisms and the implementation of community policing programs.