Empirical evaluation of tax reforms is vital to the efficient and fair design of tax systems. However, the study of past tax reforms has been constrained by the lack of internationally comparable data on important details of such reforms. The Fiscal Affairs Department at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is filling this gap by launching a unique new database, comprising granular information on tax reforms for 23 advanced and emerging market economies over several decades.

Tax Policy Reform Database (TPRD)

The Tax Policy Reform Database is a novel and comprehensive database of tax policy measures adopted in 23 advanced and emerging market economies over the last four decades. It was developed by the Fiscal Affairs Department of the International Monetary Fund in collaboration with the International Bureau of Fiscal Documentation (IBFD), using information from more than 900 Economic Surveys from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and 37,000 tax-related news from the IBFD archives.

The database contains granular information on the direction of changes in tax rates and tax base of six different taxes, namely personal and corporate income taxes, value added and sale taxes, social security contributions, excise, and property taxes. It also contains information on the exact announcement and implementation dates of tax measures (for instance, day and/or month and year), as well as whether the measures represented major tax changes (like tax reforms) and/or were phased over several years. For measures announced in consolidation years and when available, the TPRD reports governments’ estimates of their intended revenue yield, as documented in Dabla-Norris and others (2018, forthcoming). Moreover, the raw data is such that more granular categorizations are possible as needed for policymakers and researchers.

The database is a public good made available from the International Monetary Fund and the International Bureau of Fiscal Documentation (IBFD) to the broader public with a view to stimulate the policymakers’ discussion about tax policy issues and advance the research frontier on the macroeconomic effects of tax policy reforms. While the TPRD is accessible free of charge, its information is subject to copyrights from the IMF, IBFD, and OECD; and can be re-used provided that proper attribution is made to these institutions and to Amaglobeli, D., V. Crispolti, E. Dabla-Norris, P. Karnane, and F. Misch, 2018, Tax Policy Measures in Advanced and Emerging Economies: A Novel Database, IMF Working Paper, forthcoming.

 

(Sources: Advancing the Evaluation of Tax Reforms | Tax Policy Reform Database)

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