Country Reports
2023
January 19, 2023
Chile: Technical Assistance Report-An Evaluation of Improved Tax Options
Description: At the request of the Chilean Minister of Finance, a team from the IMF Fiscal Affairs Department (FAD) conducted a capacity development mission in Santiago to evaluate options to improve green taxes in Chile, as part of a general tax reform presented to Congress in July 2022. The mission reviewed existing carbon taxes in the country, including revenue performance, coverage, and selected design issues. It also discussed changes to green taxes that will take effect in 2023, as well as new mitigation tools introduced in the Framework Law on Climate Change. The mission presented the authorities with four different carbon pricing reform scenarios that would bring Chile closer to or in line with its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) for 2030, and the legally binding net-zero pledge for 2050. The mission also stated that additional measures under all proposed scenarios, such as improved energy efficiency policies, introduction of feebates schemes and faster adoption of low and zero emission sources for transport, power, and industry, would further contribute to achieve climate goals. The mission used the Climate Policy Assessment Tool (CPAT) to perform the analysis. The tool was subsequently transferred to the authorities through a four-day hands-on capacity development workshop, which was attended by officials from the Ministries of Finance, Energy, Environment, and Transportation.
January 19, 2023
Spain: 2022 Article IV Consultation-Press Release; Staff Report; and Statement by the Executive Director for Spain
Description: Two years after the pandemic, the Spanish economy is facing new headwinds from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Activity has been resilient so far, supported by a strong rebound in tourism and other services and timely policy support measures. However, elevated global energy and food prices, lower trading partners’ demand, deteriorating consumer and business confidence, and rising interest rates have slowed the recovery of output. Growth is projected to moderate to 1.1 percent in 2023. Risks to the outlook include tighter-than-expected financial conditions, weaker global demand, and further increases in European energy prices.
January 18, 2023
Niger: 2022 Article IV Consultation and Second Review under the Extended Credit Facility Arrangement, and requests for a Waiver of Non-observance of Performance Criterion and Modification of Performance Criteria-Press Release; Staff Report; and Statement by the Executive Director for Niger
Description: Niger’s political landscape is broadly stable, but the country continues to face daunting development challenges against a backdrop of fragility, which are exacerbated by a decade of conflict in the Sahel and exposure to climate shocks. Low rainfall in 2021, pushed an estimated 4.4 million people into acute food insecurity this year. Russia’s war in Ukraine added to food, petroleum, and fertilizer price pressures. Economic growth is projected to accelerate from 1.4 percent in 2021 to 7.1 percent this year, driven by private investment and the recovery in agriculture. While debt vulnerabilities have increased, the updated DSA deems debt as sustainable, and the risk of external and overall debt distress is still rated “moderate”.
January 18, 2023
Senegal: Sixth Review Under the Policy Coordination Instrument and Third Reviews Under the Stand-By Arrangement and the Arrangement Under the Stand-By Credit Facility-Press Release; Staff Report; and Statement by the Executive Director for Senegal
Description: This paper focuses on Senegal’s Sixth Review under the Policy Coordination Instrument and Third Reviews under the Stand-By Arrangement and the Arrangement under the Standby Credit Facility. Weaker external demand, rising food and energy prices, tightening financial conditions, and the US dollar appreciation have negatively impacted the Senegalese economy. Moreover, multiple challenges are facing the country, including heightened regional insecurity and growing social demands amid soaring cost of living. Program performance was broadly satisfactory. All end-June 2022 performance criteria and two out of three indicative targets were met. Three out of nine structural benchmarks were implemented on time. Revenue collection through end- September was stronger than expected but soaring energy subsidies led the government to delay some investment projects. Spending pressures are mounting in 2023, making the much-needed fiscal consolidation more difficult. The authorities and staff agreed on a revised 2022 budget that maintains the fiscal deficit at 6.2 percent of gross domestic product, in line with the previous program review, through additional revenue measures and savings to offset larger energy subsidies.
January 18, 2023
Republic of Slovenia: 2022 Article IV Consultation-Press Release; and Staff Report
Description: Slovenia recovered quickly from the pandemic but Russia’s war in Ukraine is posing new challenges, especially the negative terms of trade shock. A center-left government took office in June, with a broad social and green reform agenda.
January 18, 2023
Republic of Türkiye: 2022 Article IV Consultation-Press Release; and Staff Report
Description: Türkiye’s recovery from the pandemic has been remarkable and reflects outsized stimulative policies and a dynamic private sector. But the same policies that buoyed growth also exacerbated vulnerabilities by lowering reserve buffers and increasing dollarization. A new policy model, introduced in the Fall of 2021, aims at further supporting growth and at lowering inflation by eliminating Türkiye’s current account deficit. The model relies on low interest rates and on measures to reduce dollarization, financial volatility, and overall credit growth, while directing lending to selected sectors. Successive policy rate cuts led to a run on the lira in December 2021, which was only relieved by large FX intervention and a new FX-protected deposit scheme. Since then, increasingly distortionary and complex macrofinancial and regulatory measures have been put in place to limit the lira decline. Meanwhile, inflation reached multi-decade highs, at 85 percent in October 2022. While Türkiye’s public debt burden is low compared to peers, fiscal risks have grown—notably from quasi-fiscal operations, contingent liabilities, and the exposure of public debt to FX shocks—and spending is expected to rise ahead of the upcoming elections. Spillovers from Russia’s war in Ukraine have added to Türkiye’s economic strains and have exacerbated external vulnerabilities, notably through a wider current account deficit.
January 18, 2023
Republic of Türkiye: Financial System Stability Assessment
Description: Türkiye’s bank-dominated financial sector has grown markedly and shown areas of resilience since the last Financial Sector Assessment Program (FSAP). However, macrofinancial volatility has risen significantly, foreign investors have receded from local markets, and demand for dollarized and state-guaranteed foreign-exchange (FX) protected Lira deposits has risen alongside a deeply negative real policy interest rate set against the backdrop of rapidly tightening global financial conditions. An array of idiosyncratic measures has been deployed that attempt to offset the highly negative policy rate and achieve multiple objectives.
January 13, 2023
Lebanon: Technical Assistance Report on Putting Tax Policy Back on Track
Description: Lebanon’s tax revenue more than halved between 2019 and 2021, in the face of the deepest economic crisis since the end of the civil war. This report identifies tax policy reform options to stop the drain on Lebanon’s tax revenue in the immediate and near-terms and to move toward a more efficient, effective, and inclusive tax system in the medium-term.