ECLAC believes need more tax revenue in region

Greater mobilization of domestic resources is usually considered fundamental to enable countries to meet successfully the challenges of development and reach higher levels of life for all its inhabitants.

Additional fiscal resources enable Governments simultaneously improve their competitiveness and to promote social cohesion through increased spending on education, infrastructure and innovation.

Latin American countries have made great progress in the last two decades the increase in its tax revenues, as evidenced by statistics tax in Latin America that have been submitted by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), CIAT and the OECD.

Publication shows that the average tax revenue as a percentage of GDP to 12 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) grew almost continuously from 14.9 per cent in 1990 to 19.2% in 2009.

This increase is the u000areflecting strong economic growth, the taxation of non-renewable natural resources, and better management of administrations tax.

Despite these improvements, there are still significant gaps between Latin America and the OECD countries. The average tax revenue as a percentage of GDP in the OECD countries is far superior to the countries of Latin America (33.8% to 19.2% in 2009, respectively).

As the countries of the region still enjoy economic conditions relatively strong, it is considering carrying out reforms that generate resources stable long term so that Governments can finance the development.

Tax revenue as a percentage of the GDP of the 12 countries of Latin America and included in the report Caribbean - Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Peru, Dominican Republic, Uruguay and Venezuela, (Republic) u000aBolivarian of)-vary from 12.2% in Guatemala, with the percentage lower in 2009, up 32.6% of Brazil, with the highest percentage and close to the average of the OECD.

"The ratio of investment is insufficient in Latin America and the Caribbean to sustain high growth rates." We have mainly lags in infrastructure. "Unfortunately the investment has been one of the variables of adjustment in past crises", said the Executive Secretary of ECLAC, Alicia Bárcena.

The representative inaugurated at the headquarters of the Agency in Santiago, Chile, XXIV seminar of Fiscal policy, which will stretch until today Thursday 26. In addition to Bárcena, Adrienne Cheasty, Deputy Director of fiscal affairs of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) they presented at the first session.

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