Since the economic recession in Latvia, the national debt in September 2010 amounted to 4.717 billion lats. The study confirms significant impact of downward trends of the economy of Latvia on the national budget performance indicators in 2009. One of the most commonly mentioned and controversial indicator is the real estate tax that has to be imposed also on the land. The aim of this study is to analyse and assess the system of the Land Fund of Latvia and features of tax application.

Economists have generally argued that if a land tax is administratively feasible, then to increase efficiency it should be used to the exclusion of output taxes. This article shows that underlying this policy prescription is the assumption that institutions for pooling and spreading production risks are perfect. When account is taken of the imperfections in those institutions, some use of output taxes will be Pareto superior to a pure land tax regime and may induce higher output, as well. Henry George was wrong.

Land and Property Tax: a Policy Guide is a companion for government officials and land and property professionals seeking to understand how to establish a viable and vibrant land-based taxation system. Using various examples, alternatives and illustrations around the World, the Guide provides a compelling case for generating local revenue through land and its improvements.

Since the first edition of paying taxes,
and especially following the global financial crisis, the
media, the public, and many policymakers have become
increasingly interested in how international tax systems
operate. Most recently the focus has been the work initiated
by the G20 and carried out by the Organization of Economic
Cooperation and Development (OECD) on base erosion and
profit shifting (BEPS). The BEPS agenda however does not

The paper analyzes the design of
simplified small business tax regimes in Eastern Europe and
Central Asia and the impact of such regimes on small
business tax compliance. Although many approaches for tax
simplification exist, a general trend in the region is to
offer small businesses the option to be taxed based on their
turnover instead of net income. The study finds that many of
the regimes in place are overly simplistic and neither take

This paper discusses
competitiveness-related issues surrounding the design and
administration of corporate and value added/sales taxes in
four South Asian countries -- Bangladesh, India, Pakistan,
and Sri Lanka. The paper is based largely on analysis of tax
legislation; in addition, data from the World Banks
enterprise surveys, the Doing Business report, as well as
industry studies are used for evidence on tax compliance

This is the tenth year that the paying
taxes indicator has been part of the World Bank Doing
Business project. The journey over the period of the study
has been an eventful and interesting one and the economic
backdrop continues to present a challenging environment for
governments as they consider their future fiscal policies.
Globalization, the march of technological change, changing
demographic patterns and the persistent challenges that

Paying Taxes 2014 looks at tax regimes
in 189 economies as part of the Doing Business series. The
period covered by the study, 2004 to 2012, has seen the end
of a sustained period of economic growth, a severe recession
and a slow recovery. Governments continue to be under the
pressure balance the need to attract investment and foster
growth while generating tax revenues. This report finds that
governments continue to reform their tax systems despite

The tax-at-a-glance provides an overview
of the tax policy and tax administration system as well as
main trends in tax reform for each Europe and Central Asia
(ECA) country. In the ECA region, two historic transitions
since 1990 (a political transition from totalitarianism
toward democracy and an economic transition from socialism
toward free market systems) required a fundamental change in
the role of the state, from controlling virtually all major

This study focuses on the tax system for
non-subsurface users in Kazakhstan. It takes as given the
tax reform package that the authorities and stakeholders are
designing, but proposes a number of additional steps to be
taken over the next 2-3 years aimed at maximizing the
benefits of tax neutrality on competitiveness. The first
volume of this report mainly focuses on tax policy: taxes on
labor, capital, and consumption. A draft report on

This note provides an overview of the current property taxation system in the Punjab Province based on the premise that the property tax: 1) is essentially a fiscal tool; 2) is not an instrument of social redistribution; 3) system should be kept simple; and 4) is a technical instrument with strong financial, institutional, and political connotations. This note summarizes the key attributes of the present property taxation system of the Punjab Province and proposes some solutions for improving the property tax system.

The 2005 Tanzania poverty and social impact analysis (PSIA) on local government tax reform was designed to examine the intended and unintended consequences on poverty reduction and growth in Tanzania of the tax reforms implemented in June 2003 and 2004. The main elements of the reform were the abolition of the flat rate development levy in 2003 along with nuisance taxes, and the abolition of business license fees for enterprises below a certain size and capping of those fees for larger enterprises in 2004.