Trade deregulation and fiscal revenue in selected Pacific Island countries
2025

Impact of Trade Deregulation on Tax Revenue in Pacific Island Countries

Sample size: 5 publication 10 minutes Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Makun Keshmeer, Singh Baljeet

Primary Institution: School of Accounting, Finance and Economics, University of the South Pacific, Suva, Fiji

Hypothesis

How does trade deregulation affect tax revenue in selected Pacific Island countries?

Conclusion

Trade deregulation has led to a decline in trade tax revenues while increasing domestic indirect tax revenues in Pacific Island countries.

Supporting Evidence

  • Trade tax revenues have declined as countries deregulated their trade.
  • Domestic indirect tax revenues have increased in response to trade deregulation.
  • Structural factors like development level significantly influence tax revenues.
  • Foreign aid negatively impacts total tax revenues.
  • External debt positively affects total tax revenues.

Takeaway

When countries in the Pacific stopped charging as much tax on trade, they made less money from those taxes but started collecting more from other types of taxes.

Methodology

The study used a cross-country analysis and empirical estimation of tax revenue implications from trade deregulation.

Potential Biases

Potential bias due to reliance on available data and structural characteristics of the countries.

Limitations

Data availability and consistency for the selected Pacific Island countries were key limitations.

Participant Demographics

The study focused on five Pacific Island countries: Fiji, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and Papua New Guinea.

Statistical Information

P-Value

0.000

Statistical Significance

p<0.05

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1371/journal.pone.0315733

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