Impacts of Direct and Indirect Tax Reforms in Vietnam: A CGE Analysis

Bhattarai, Keshab and Nguyen, Dung T.K. and Nguyen, Chan V (2018): Impacts of Direct and Indirect Tax Reforms in Vietnam: A CGE Analysis.

Abstract

The study applies a multi-sector multi-household static general equilibrium tax model to assess economy-wide impacts of taxes in Vietnam. It examines two tax reform scenarios based on the tax reform plan proposed by the Vietnam Ministry of Finance. The first scenario is increasing 20% from the current Value-Added Tax (VAT) rate. The second scenario relates to setting a competitive Corporate Income Tax (CIT) rate to the lowest rate in ASEAN countries. In general correction of current tax distortions will have positive impacts on labour supply, utility, consumption, output and welfare of households as they reallocate resources from more to less productive sectors of the economy. The CGE model allows to find the impacts on microeconomic and macroeconomic variables including employments, output, prices and capital stock as well as on welfare of households of an increase in the standard VAT rate from 10 to 12% and reduction in the CIT rate from 20 to 17% as considered by the current government. This study contributes to the literature on the CGE model for Vietnam economy, it is also a small step towards finding the optimal tax structure in Vietnam.

• Item Type: MPRA Paper
• Commentary on: Eprints 0 not found.
• Language: English
• Keywords: Tax reform; general equilibrium; tax analysis; Vietnam
• Subjects: C - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods > C6 - Mathematical Methods ; Programming Models ; Mathematical and Simulation Modeling > C68 - Computable General Equilibrium Models; D - Microeconomics > D5 - General Equilibrium and Disequilibrium > D58 - Computable and Other Applied General Equilibrium Models; E - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics > E6 - Macroeconomic Policy, Macroeconomic Aspects of Public Finance, and General Outlook > E62 - Fiscal Policy; H - Public Economics > H3 - Fiscal Policies and Behavior of Economic Agents

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