Notable progress has been made in the quality and effectiveness of
fiscal policies in Latin America and the Caribbean. Recent growth
of tax revenues in the region has been the fastest in the world.
However, the region still has a long way to go and most countries’
systems are far from exhausting their revenue potential. Moreover,
taxation should do more than provide revenue; indeed, it should be
designed as a powerful tool for stimulating development. Existing
tax structures in Latin America and the Caribbean do not meet this
objective.
fiscal policies in Latin America and the Caribbean. Recent growth
of tax revenues in the region has been the fastest in the world.
However, the region still has a long way to go and most countries’
systems are far from exhausting their revenue potential. Moreover,
taxation should do more than provide revenue; indeed, it should be
designed as a powerful tool for stimulating development. Existing
tax structures in Latin America and the Caribbean do not meet this
objective.
The structure of taxation in Latin American and Caribbean
countries is usually described as suffering from four major
shortcomings: collection is very low, taxes are barely progressive,
tax evasion is rampant, and tax administrations are very weak.
These characteristics create a self-reinforcing vicious circle, whose
deep historical roots can be found in the distribution of wealth
and effective political rights in the region. One of the rent-seeking
mechanisms that the most affluent have imposed on the rest of
society is the regressive design of the tax structure. Opportunities to
evade taxes that vary greatly across income groups compound this
perverse structure, shrinking effective tax bases and resulting in low
levels of revenue.
This description is not very encouraging, but fortunately it does
not do justice to the current state of taxation in the region. True, tax
collection is low relative to the per capita income levels of countries.
However, the tax burden has increased more in Latin American and
Caribbean countries than anywhere else in the world: by 2.7 points
of GDP from the early 1990s to the second half of the 2000s. This
significant increase in the tax burden has occurred in almost all Latin
American and Caribbean countries. Moreover, tax increases have
taken place across all tax sources, with the exception of taxes on
international trade and excise duties.more
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countries is usually described as suffering from four major
shortcomings: collection is very low, taxes are barely progressive,
tax evasion is rampant, and tax administrations are very weak.
These characteristics create a self-reinforcing vicious circle, whose
deep historical roots can be found in the distribution of wealth
and effective political rights in the region. One of the rent-seeking
mechanisms that the most affluent have imposed on the rest of
society is the regressive design of the tax structure. Opportunities to
evade taxes that vary greatly across income groups compound this
perverse structure, shrinking effective tax bases and resulting in low
levels of revenue.
This description is not very encouraging, but fortunately it does
not do justice to the current state of taxation in the region. True, tax
collection is low relative to the per capita income levels of countries.
However, the tax burden has increased more in Latin American and
Caribbean countries than anywhere else in the world: by 2.7 points
of GDP from the early 1990s to the second half of the 2000s. This
significant increase in the tax burden has occurred in almost all Latin
American and Caribbean countries. Moreover, tax increases have
taken place across all tax sources, with the exception of taxes on
international trade and excise duties.more
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