- Overview
- Agenda & Materials
- Speakers
How can targeted policy reforms help improve revenue mobilization and fiscal sustainability? Hosted by the Office of the South Asia Chief Economist, South Asian Network on Economic Modeling (SANEM), and the Centre for Social and Economic Progress (CSEP), this in-person event explores how effective policy measures can help South Asia bridge the revenue gap and mobilize domestic resources to support sustainable development.
Government revenue is crucial for emerging market and developing economies as it provides the financial resources to fund essential public goods and services. Effective revenue mobilization reduces dependence on external aid, fosters greater fiscal autonomy, and enhances resilience against economic shocks. South Asia’s revenue collection is well below the average of emerging market and developing economies, despite having above-average tax rates. This shortfall is particularly pronounced in direct and sales tax revenues, reflecting challenges such as widespread informality and a large agricultural sector. Adopting successful policy measures from other regions could help South Asia address these challenges and boost revenue collection.
Wednesday, April 30, 2025
8:50 AM – 5:05 PM (ET)
| 8:20-8:50 AM | Registration & Breakfast |
8:50-9:00 AM |
Welcome Remarks · Franziska Ohnsorge, Chief Economist for the South Asia Region, World Bank |
| 9:00-10:00 AM | Panel Discussion | Revenue Mobilization in Developing Countries · Laveesh Bhandari, President and Senior Fellow, Centre for Social and Economic Progress · Era Dabla-Norris, Deputy Director of Fiscal Affairs, International Monetary Fund · William Maloney, Chief Economist for the Latin America and the Caribbean Region, World Bank Moderator: Martin Raiser, Vice President for the South Asia Region, World Bank |
10:00-10:15 AM |
Coffee Break |
10:15-11:45 AM |
Paper Session 1 | Tax Administration POLICY PRESENTATION: Trade Tax of Bangladesh Selim Raihan, Professor, University of Dhaka; Executive Director, South Asian Network on Economic Modeling Oyebola Okunogbe (World Bank) PAPER II: Supermodular Bureaucrats: Evidence from Randomly Assigned Tax Collectors in the DRC Jonathan L. Weigel; Pedro Bessone; Augustin Bergeron; Gabriel Tourek (University of Pittsburgh); John Kabeya Kabeya PAPER III: The Taxed Informal Economy: Fiscal Burdens and Inequality in Accra Nana Akua Anyidoho; Max Gallien; Michael Rogan; Vanessa van den Boogaard (ICTD/University of Toronto) |
11:45 AM-12:45 PM |
Lunch |
| 12:45-1:45 PM | Keynote Lecture | Why do developing countries (still) tax so little? Causes and Consequences · Tim Besley, School Professor of Economics and Political Science and W. Arthur Lewis Professor of Development Economics, London School of Economics and Political Science |
1:45-3:15 PM |
Paper Session 2 | Fiscal Policy and Reform POLICY PRESENTATION: Goods and Services Tax (GST) Reform of India Renu Kohli, Senior Fellow, Centre for Social and Economic Progress PAPER I: Sustainable Revenues and Structural Reforms: How Has India Fared? Kritima Bhapta (Centre for Social and Economic Progress); Renu Kohli PAPER II: Equity vs Efficiency of Indirect Taxes: Evidence from a Large VAT Cut in India Pierre Bachas; Davi Bhering (Paris School of Economics); Pulak Ghosh PAPER III: Slashing VAT, Missing the Mark? Lessons from Peru’s Hospitality Sector Bledi Celiku; Antonio Cusato; Natasha Rovo; Dario Tortarolo (World Bank) |
| 3:15-3:30 PM | Coffee Break |
| 3:30-5:00 PM | Paper Session 3 | Raising Revenues for Development POLICY PRESENTATION: Taxing for Growth: Revisiting the 15 Percent Threshold Emilia Skrok, Global Manager of Fiscal Policy and Sustainable Growth, World Bank PAPER I: How Does Tax Complexity Affect Firm Performances: Evidence from Cross-Country Data Selim Raihan; Mahtab Uddin (University of Manchester and University of Dhaka) PAPER II: Horizontal Inequity of Taxation: Citizen Perceptions and Policy Preferences Pierre Bachas; Christopher Hoy (World Bank); Anders Jensen; Mahvish Shaukat PAPER III: Transient Gains, Lasting Challenges: Evidence from e-POS Adoption in Pakistan Sher Afghan Asad (Lahore University of Management Sciences); Isabelle Cohen |
| 5:00-5:05 PM | Closing Remarks · Selim Raihan, Professor, University of Dhaka and Executive Director, South Asian Network on Economic Modeling |
PANELISTS
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
PRESENTERS
Date: April 30, 2025
Time: 08:50 AM - 04:40 PM ET
Location: Washington, D.C.