Kazakhstan : Enhancing the Fiscal Framework to Support Economic Transformation

Kazakhstan benefited from the oil boom of 2000–14 that led to income growth and poverty reduction and helped build a fiscal cushion to stabilize the economy during downturns. During this period, nominal GDP per capita increased ten-fold, from US$1,...

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Main Author: World Bank
Format: Report
Language:English
Published: World Bank, Washington, DC 2017
Subjects:
Online Access:http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/406131511790097777/Kazakhstan-Enhancing-the-fiscal-framework-to-support-economic-transformation-public-finance-review
http://hdl.handle.net/10986/28939
id okr-10986-28939
recordtype oai_dc
spelling okr-10986-289392021-06-14T10:05:33Z Kazakhstan : Enhancing the Fiscal Framework to Support Economic Transformation World Bank PUBLIC FINANCE FISCAL POLICY STRUCTURAL TRANSFORMATION PUBLIC EXPENDITURE PUBLIC INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT PROCUREMENT TAXATION DEBT MANAGEMENT FISCAL ADMINISTRATION GOVERNANCE PUBLIC SECTOR REFORM Kazakhstan benefited from the oil boom of 2000–14 that led to income growth and poverty reduction and helped build a fiscal cushion to stabilize the economy during downturns. During this period, nominal GDP per capita increased ten-fold, from US$1,229 in 2000 to US$12,807 in 2014, mainly due to price effects from currency appreciation that followed an expansion of the oil sector. Income growth led to a substantial decline in the poverty rate, from 77 percent in 2001 to 16 percent in 2014. As oil output more than doubled and the oil price super-cycle emerged, the Government of Kazakhstan (GoK) accumulated substantial fiscal savings in its oil fund, the National Fund of the Republic of Kazakhstan (NFRK).2 Fiscal savings in the NFRK peaked at US$73 billion (33 percent of GDP) at end-2014. A portion of these funds was used for anti-crisis programs in 2007-10, during which time the fiscal stimulus program totaled US$18 billion (about 15 percent of GDP). The authorities must urgently adopt and start implementing a fiscal consolidation strategy and refocus macro-fiscal policy on promoting diversified growth and high-quality job creation. The countercyclical fiscal stance adopted in 2014 led to an increase in the nonoil fiscal deficit (NOD), which is too high to ensure medium-term fiscal sustainability and threatens the long-term growth potential of the nonoil tradable economy. Successful fiscal consolidation would require: (i) reducing inefficient expenditure that distorts private incentives while redirecting savings toward productivity-enhancing spending; and (ii) eliminating inefficient tax benefits that result in an uneven playing field for investment. While pursuing a fiscal consolidation effort over the medium term, there are potential benefits to reviewing Kazakhstan’s fiscal policy framework and institutions with the goal of strengthening their coherence, credibility, and flexibility. This Public Finance Review (PFR) aims to help the authorities identify areas for fiscal consolidation that will bring about fiscal sustainability in the medium term and support economic transformation in the long run. While developing a fiscal consolidation strategy, the authorities should address four policy areas to enhance fiscal sustainability and support economic transformation. These are discussed in the following four policy focus chapters: (i) enhancing the credibility of the fiscal policy framework; (ii) improving public spending efficiency and effectiveness; (iii) mobilizing nonoil revenue and optimizing the tax system; and (iv) strengthening fiscal policy institutions. 2017-12-04T23:10:08Z 2017-12-04T23:10:08Z 2017-11-27 Report http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/406131511790097777/Kazakhstan-Enhancing-the-fiscal-framework-to-support-economic-transformation-public-finance-review http://hdl.handle.net/10986/28939 English CC BY 3.0 IGO http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo World Bank World Bank, Washington, DC Economic & Sector Work :: Other Public Sector Study Economic & Sector Work Europe and Central Asia Kazakhstan
repository_type Digital Repository
institution_category Foreign Institution
institution Digital Repositories
building World Bank Open Knowledge Repository
collection World Bank
language English
topic PUBLIC FINANCE
FISCAL POLICY
STRUCTURAL TRANSFORMATION
PUBLIC EXPENDITURE
PUBLIC INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT
PROCUREMENT
TAXATION
DEBT MANAGEMENT
FISCAL ADMINISTRATION
GOVERNANCE
PUBLIC SECTOR REFORM
spellingShingle PUBLIC FINANCE
FISCAL POLICY
STRUCTURAL TRANSFORMATION
PUBLIC EXPENDITURE
PUBLIC INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT
PROCUREMENT
TAXATION
DEBT MANAGEMENT
FISCAL ADMINISTRATION
GOVERNANCE
PUBLIC SECTOR REFORM
World Bank
Kazakhstan : Enhancing the Fiscal Framework to Support Economic Transformation
geographic_facet Europe and Central Asia
Kazakhstan
description Kazakhstan benefited from the oil boom of 2000–14 that led to income growth and poverty reduction and helped build a fiscal cushion to stabilize the economy during downturns. During this period, nominal GDP per capita increased ten-fold, from US$1,229 in 2000 to US$12,807 in 2014, mainly due to price effects from currency appreciation that followed an expansion of the oil sector. Income growth led to a substantial decline in the poverty rate, from 77 percent in 2001 to 16 percent in 2014. As oil output more than doubled and the oil price super-cycle emerged, the Government of Kazakhstan (GoK) accumulated substantial fiscal savings in its oil fund, the National Fund of the Republic of Kazakhstan (NFRK).2 Fiscal savings in the NFRK peaked at US$73 billion (33 percent of GDP) at end-2014. A portion of these funds was used for anti-crisis programs in 2007-10, during which time the fiscal stimulus program totaled US$18 billion (about 15 percent of GDP). The authorities must urgently adopt and start implementing a fiscal consolidation strategy and refocus macro-fiscal policy on promoting diversified growth and high-quality job creation. The countercyclical fiscal stance adopted in 2014 led to an increase in the nonoil fiscal deficit (NOD), which is too high to ensure medium-term fiscal sustainability and threatens the long-term growth potential of the nonoil tradable economy. Successful fiscal consolidation would require: (i) reducing inefficient expenditure that distorts private incentives while redirecting savings toward productivity-enhancing spending; and (ii) eliminating inefficient tax benefits that result in an uneven playing field for investment. While pursuing a fiscal consolidation effort over the medium term, there are potential benefits to reviewing Kazakhstan’s fiscal policy framework and institutions with the goal of strengthening their coherence, credibility, and flexibility. This Public Finance Review (PFR) aims to help the authorities identify areas for fiscal consolidation that will bring about fiscal sustainability in the medium term and support economic transformation in the long run. While developing a fiscal consolidation strategy, the authorities should address four policy areas to enhance fiscal sustainability and support economic transformation. These are discussed in the following four policy focus chapters: (i) enhancing the credibility of the fiscal policy framework; (ii) improving public spending efficiency and effectiveness; (iii) mobilizing nonoil revenue and optimizing the tax system; and (iv) strengthening fiscal policy institutions.
format Report
author World Bank
author_facet World Bank
author_sort World Bank
title Kazakhstan : Enhancing the Fiscal Framework to Support Economic Transformation
title_short Kazakhstan : Enhancing the Fiscal Framework to Support Economic Transformation
title_full Kazakhstan : Enhancing the Fiscal Framework to Support Economic Transformation
title_fullStr Kazakhstan : Enhancing the Fiscal Framework to Support Economic Transformation
title_full_unstemmed Kazakhstan : Enhancing the Fiscal Framework to Support Economic Transformation
title_sort kazakhstan : enhancing the fiscal framework to support economic transformation
publisher World Bank, Washington, DC
publishDate 2017
url http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/406131511790097777/Kazakhstan-Enhancing-the-fiscal-framework-to-support-economic-transformation-public-finance-review
http://hdl.handle.net/10986/28939
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