Fiscal Policy

Tools of Fiscal

Government Spending

Taxes

Current Government Expenditure

Transfer Payments (welfare, CDC)

Capital Expenditure (Infrastructure)

Direct Taxes (Income, Corporations, Wealth Taxes)

Indirect Taxes (Custom, Excise, Govt Expenditure Taxes)

Benefits

Positive secondary benefits on supply side (Increase in LRAS)

Limitations

Crowding-out effect

Monetary COE, Govt borrow frm banks, high interest rates, higher COB, lose I (counter effect)

Physical COE, Land and Labour shortages, increase COP

Fiscal Sustainability

Requires some sort of sustainability in terms of money, have to take from reserves

Time Lags

Recognition Lag (Time to realise recession)

Implementation Lag (Time to discuss)

Response Lag (Time for policies to roll out)

Accuracy of Forecasts

Small Multiplier Size (Multiplier effect ineffective)

Govt Spending or Taxes? (Which is btr)

Inflexibility (Cannot roll back)

Method of financing (tradeoffs)

High tax now or later?

Internal or external debt?