Togo: Selected Issues

IMF Staff Country Reports, May 17, 2017

Source details

Canonical URL

Togo: Selected Issues

Other formats

• Markdown version
• Structured JSON version
• Bundle manifest

Bibliographic details

• Published: May 17, 2017
• Series: IMF Staff Country Reports
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.5089/9781484300923.002

Summary of findings

• The paper assesses the redistributive impact of fiscal policies in Togo by estimating the impact of taxation and spending on household-level income inequality and poverty rates.
• The combination of direct taxes and subsidies is found to reduce inequality.
• The combination of direct taxes and subsidies is found to increase poverty rates.
• Mechanism identified: the value of taxes paid by lower-income households outweighs the value of transfers they receive, increasing the share of the population living below the poverty line.

Policy implications and recommendations

• Highlighted policy priority: target spending to lower-income households.
• Suggested fiscal shift: progressively move public spending from infrastructure to social expenditures while improving targeting to protect the poor.

Subject areas and keywords

• Subject: Commercial banks, Education, Financial institutions, Government debt management, National accounts, Personal income, Public debt, Public financial management (PFM)
• Keywords: B. social spending, banking sector, CEQ income concepts, Commercial banks, CR, Government debt management, income, ISCR, Personal income, spending, spending portfolio, Sub-Saharan Africa, Togo, Togolese banking sector, VAT, VAT bill, VAT income

Content in this bundle

• Country Report
  • Country Report (Markdown version)
  • Country Report (PDF)