IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/wbk/wbrwps/557.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

The new fiscal federalism in Brazil

Author

Listed:
  • Shah, Anwar

Abstract

Brazil is a three-tiered federation of 24 states, two federal territories, a federal district, and 4,300 municipalities. In 1989 less than half of all government spending was controlled by the federal government. Brazil's new constitution gave autonomous broad powers to states and municipalities on certain tax and spending functions, with municipalities independent of and coequal to states. This paper reviews and analyzes the intergovernmental fiscal relations in Brazil and finds that: (a) federal and state governments are involved in purely local functions in an uncoordinated fashion; (b) the administration of sales tax by all three levels creates duplication and confusion; (c) administration of the general value-added tax by the state involves unresolved issues about tax crediting on interstate trade; (d) the state and municipal revenue-sharing funds do not distribute revenues fairly and equitably; (e) conditional transfers are arbitrary and driven primarily by political considerations; and (f) revenue-sharing constrains the federal government's ability to fulfill its mandate as a national government and is conducive to fiscal mismanagement. In short, the paper concludes that fiscal arrangements have created a vertical fiscal imbalance. The author presents policy options to resolve these problems.

Suggested Citation

  • Shah, Anwar, 1990. "The new fiscal federalism in Brazil," Policy Research Working Paper Series 557, The World Bank.
    • Handle: RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:557
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/WDSContentServer/WDSP/IB/1990/12/01/000009265_3960930082437/Rendered/PDF/multi_page.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Anwar M. Chaudry-Shah, 1989. "A Capitalization Approach to Fiscal Incidence at the Local Level," Land Economics, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 65(4), pages 359-375.
    2. Chaudry-Shah, Anwar, 1988. "Capitalization and the Theory of Local Public Finance: An Interpretive Essay," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 2(3), pages 209-243.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Andrés Rodríguez-Pose & Nicholas Gill, 2004. "Is There a Global Link between Regional Disparities and Devolution?," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 36(12), pages 2097-2117, December.
    2. Andres Velasco, 1997. "A Model of Endogenous Fiscal Deficits and Delayed Fiscal Reforms," NBER Working Papers 6336, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    3. David Wildasin, 1996. "Introduction: Fiscal Aspects of Evolving Federations," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 3(2), pages 121-135, May.
    4. Eduardo Haddad & Alexandre A. Porsse & Eduardo P. Ribeiro, 2006. "Modeling Interjurisdictional Tax Competition in a Federal System," ERSA conference papers ersa06p359, European Regional Science Association.
    5. Ter-Minassian, Teresa, 1997. "Financial management of government operations: selected macroeconomic and institutional aspects," Sede de la CEPAL en Santiago (Estudios e Investigaciones) 34330, Naciones Unidas Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL).
    6. Bird, Richard & Wallich, Christine, 1992. "Financing local government in Hungary," Policy Research Working Paper Series 869, The World Bank.
    7. Frederico G. Jayme Jr. & Marco Crocco, 2005. "Política Fiscal, Disponibilidade De Crédito E Financiamento De Políticas Regionais No Brasil (Versão Preliminar Para Discussão)," Working Papers 0016, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Department of Economics.
    8. González Cano, Hugo, 1997. "Situación arancelaria y tributaria del MERCOSUR," Sede de la CEPAL en Santiago (Estudios e Investigaciones) 34337, Naciones Unidas Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL).
    9. Anwar Shah, 2007. "A Framework for Evaluating Alternate Institutional Arrangements for Fiscal Equalization Transfers," Springer Books, in: Jorge Martinez-Vazquez & Bob Searle (ed.), Fiscal Equalization, chapter 0, pages 141-162, Springer.
    10. Herbert H. Werlin, 2009. "The Case for Democracy," Journal of Developing Societies, , vol. 25(3), pages 339-370, July.
    11. Shand, David, 1997. "Budgetary reforms in OECD member countries," Sede de la CEPAL en Santiago (Estudios e Investigaciones) 34334, Naciones Unidas Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL).
    12. Shah, Anwar, 1991. "Perspectives on the design of intergovernmental fiscal relations," Policy Research Working Paper Series 726, The World Bank.
    13. Celina Souza, 1996. "Redemocratization and Decentralization in Brazil: The Strength of the Member States," Development and Change, International Institute of Social Studies, vol. 27(3), pages 529-555, July.
    14. Verônica Orellano & Fabiana Rocha & Enlinson Mattos & Ana Carolina Zoghbi, 2012. "Descentralização Fiscal e Municipalização do Ensino Fundamental: Impactos sobre os Indicadores de Desempenho Educacional," Economia, ANPEC - Associação Nacional dos Centros de Pós-Graduação em Economia [Brazilian Association of Graduate Programs in Economics], vol. 13(3a), pages 529-552.
    15. Luiz De Mello, 2002. "Public finance, government spending and economic growth: the case of local governments in Brazil," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 34(15), pages 1871-1883.
    16. Cordón Ezquerro, Teodoro, 1997. "El proceso de armonización fiscal en la Unión Europea," Sede de la CEPAL en Santiago (Estudios e Investigaciones) 34339, Naciones Unidas Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL).
    17. Velasco, Andres, 2000. "Debts and deficits with fragmented fiscal policymaking," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 76(1), pages 105-125, April.
    18. Anwar Shah, 2006. "Fiscal decentralization and macroeconomic management," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 13(4), pages 437-462, August.
    19. Herbert H. Werlin, 2008. "The Evolution of Political Power in Political Development," Journal of Developing Societies, , vol. 24(3), pages 307-336, September.
    20. World Bank, 2001. "Brazil - Public Expenditures for Poverty Alleviation in Northeast Brazil : Promoting Growth and Improving Services," World Bank Publications - Reports 15510, The World Bank Group.
    21. Shah, Anwar, 2005. "Fiscal decentralization and fiscal performance," Policy Research Working Paper Series 3786, The World Bank.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Shah, Anwar & Whalley, John, 1990. "An alternative view of tax incidence analysis for developing countries," Policy Research Working Paper Series 462, The World Bank.
    2. Shah, Anwar, 1991. "Perspectives on the design of intergovernmental fiscal relations," Policy Research Working Paper Series 726, The World Bank.
    3. Selden, Thomas M. & Wasylenko, Michael J., 1992. "Benefit incidence analysis in developing countries," Policy Research Working Paper Series 1015, The World Bank.
    4. Tugrul Gurgur & Anwar Shah, 2014. "Localization and corruption: panacea or pandora's box?," Annals of Economics and Finance, Society for AEF, vol. 15(1), pages 109-136, May.
    5. Christian A. L. Hilber, 2017. "The Economic Implications of House Price Capitalization: A Synthesis," Real Estate Economics, American Real Estate and Urban Economics Association, vol. 45(2), pages 301-339, April.
    6. Christian A. L. Hilber, 2019. "Immobilienpreise und Immobilienzyklen und die Rolle von Angebotsbeschränkungen [The impact of local supply constraints on house prices and price dynamics]," Zeitschrift für Immobilienökonomie (German Journal of Real Estate Research), Springer;Gesellschaft für Immobilienwirtschaftliche Forschung e. V., vol. 5(1), pages 37-65, November.
    7. Hilber, Christian A.L. & Lyytikäinen, Teemu & Vermeulen, Wouter, 2011. "Capitalization of central government grants into local house prices: Panel data evidence from England," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 41(4), pages 394-406, July.
    8. Anwar Shah, 2006. "A Practitioner´s Guide to Intergovernmental Fiscal Transfers," Revista de Economía y Estadística, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Facultad de Ciencias Económicas, Instituto de Economía y Finanzas, vol. 0(2), pages 128-186, July.
    9. Anwar M. Shah, 1992. "Empirical Tests for Allocative Efficiency in the Local Public Sector," Public Finance Review, , vol. 20(3), pages 359-377, July.
    10. K. Shanmugam & K. R. Shanmugam, 2022. "Equalisation Transfers Based on Spending Needs and Fiscal Capacity of State Governments in India," Margin: The Journal of Applied Economic Research, National Council of Applied Economic Research, vol. 16(2), pages 139-165, May.
    11. Sylvie Charlot & Sonia Paty & Michel Visalli, 2013. "Assessing the impact of local taxation on property prices: a spatial matching contribution," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 45(9), pages 1151-1166, March.
    12. Weiß, Dominik, 2008. "Mietpreise und Lebensqualität: Ist das Wohnen in Ostdeutschland wirklich günstig?," IWH Discussion Papers 12/2008, Halle Institute for Economic Research (IWH).
    13. Douglas A. L. Auld & Lorraine Eden, 1987. "A Comparative Evaluation of Provincial-Local Equalization," Canadian Public Policy, University of Toronto Press, vol. 13(4), pages 515-528, December.
    14. Shah, Anwar & Thompson, Theresa, 2004. "Implementing decentralized local governance: a treacherous road with potholes, detours, and road closures," Policy Research Working Paper Series 3353, The World Bank.
    15. Ashley Miller, 2018. "College Scholarships as a Tool for Economic Development? Evidence From the Kalamazoo Promise," Economic Development Quarterly, , vol. 32(1), pages 3-17, February.
    16. Anwar Shah, 1996. "A Fiscal Need Approach to Equalization," Canadian Public Policy, University of Toronto Press, vol. 22(2), pages 99-115, June.
    17. Weiß, Dominik, 2010. "Kompensieren Mietpreisunterschiede ungleichwertige Lebensverhältnisse?," Arbeitsmaterial der ARL: Aufsätze, in: Rosenfeld, Martin T. W. & Weiß, Dominik (ed.), Gleichwertigkeit der Lebensverhältnisse zwischen Politik und Marktmechanismus: Empirische Befunde aus den Ländern Sachsen, Sachsen-Anhalt und Thüringe, volume 127, pages 71-95, ARL – Akademie für Raumentwicklung in der Leibniz-Gemeinschaft.
    18. Shah, Anwar & DEC, 1994. "A fiscal needs approach to equalization transfers in a decentralized federation," Policy Research Working Paper Series 1289, The World Bank.
    19. Wouter Vermeulen & Maarten Allers, 2013. "Fiscal Equalization and Capitalization: Evidence from a Policy Reform," CPB Discussion Paper 245.rdf, CPB Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis.
    20. Vermeulen, W. & Allers, Maarten, 2014. "Fiscal equalization, capitalization and the flypaper effect," Research Report 14023-EEF, University of Groningen, Research Institute SOM (Systems, Organisations and Management).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:557. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Roula I. Yazigi (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/dvewbus.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.