Fiscal policy contradiction: a perspective on Brazil and Mexico

The aim of this paper is to discuss the quality of fiscal policy in Brazil and Mexico and investigate whether fiscal policy influence is favorable to reduce the unemployment rate. Public spending, which has a positive effect on the level of employment when results in additional aggregate demand, may cause a negative effect on employment, if its financing depends on persistent high interest rates. Brazil and Mexico have engaged in a long effort to control public spending and to reduce the public deficit to zero. Does this policy bring a positive result to the economic activity no matter how actual public deficit has been financed? We select variables related to public budget as public sector borrowing requirements, taxes, public debt and others to form a data base. The fiscal institutional arrangement and the data allow us to evaluate the fiscal policy as a whole and to discuss the importance of credibility and reputation of the government.

O imposto territorial rural e os municípios: o impacto nas receitas municipais e a renúncia fiscal

O artigo reúne uma análise do impacto da arrecadação do Imposto Territorial Rural no período de 1995 a 1997 nos municípios paulistas de Bragança Paulista, Franca e Porto Ferreira frente à composição das receitas municipais. A análise é realizada com base nas legislações do imposto vigentes no período e realiza comparações de arrecadação e projeções tendo como referência os valores da terra nua arbitrados pela Secretaria da Receita Federal (SRF) e pesquisados pelo Instituto de Economia Agrícola da Secretaria de Estado dos Negócios da Agricultura e Abastecimento de São Paulo. Os resultados da pesquisa indicam percentuais de evasão fiscal que atingiram de 18% a 52% e inadimplência de até 31% e esse perfil de evasão se acentua quando a partir de 1996 a SRF deixa de estabelecer o valor da terra nua mínimo (VTNm) e passa a tomar como referência apenas os valores declarados pelo contribuinte.

Política fiscal e dívida pública: Uma abordagem teórica a partir de keynes e abba lerner

The fiscal policies of national governments are an important instrument of economic policy, as they contribute directly or indirectly to growth and economic development. Since Keynes, the utilization of active fiscal policy is unavoidable during periods of crisis, especially a policy of public investment spending aimed at reducing macroeconomic uncertainty. In the same way, Abba Lerner and functional finances indicate the use of fiscal policy in favor of macroeconomic stability, and not according to a single objective of seeking equilibrium in the public accounts. However, at the present time, the debate on fiscal policy is not sufficient to guarantee public sector financial equilibrium. The article picks up on the contributions of Keynes and Abba Lerner regarding the importance of the public budget in economic activity, and discusses the present scenario for fiscal policy.