Newsgroup: it.politica.internazionale
Titolo: Medio Oriente, paradiso fiscale

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/aug/23/why-taxes-low-arab-world
Why taxes are low in the Middle East
High taxes help to build an effective state. That many Middle Eastern 
countries don't have them tells us much
Brian Whitaker
guardian.co.uk
, Monday 23 August 2010 09.32 BST
The other day I was chatting with an Iranian friend who has just moved to 
Britain and had his first encounter with the British tax system. He was 
wondering: "Do I really have to pay?"
Back in Tehran, they have a kind of council tax, though my friend's family, 
in common with many others, hasn't paid it for years and the authorities 
haven't seriously tried to collect it, either.
Last month, Tehran's grand bazaar went on strike in protest at government 
plans to increase taxes there. But it's not just the money: the merchants 
don't fully accept the idea of letting inspectors pry into their accounts.
In Yemen, too - where there is a permanent economic crisis - the government 
is battling to enforce a sales tax in the face of fierce resistance. 
Currently, Yemeni businesses cough up only about 20% of what they are 
supposed to pay.
Low taxes, and the erratic collection of them, are common features of life 
in most of the Middle East. Among the Arab oil producers, for example, 
taxation accounted for only 5% of gross domestic product in 2002, rising to 
17% in the non-oil countries - which is still very low compared with Germany 
(39%), Italy (41%) and Britain (37%).
The main reason, of course, is that many of them are rentier economies where 
the government has sources of income other than taxes. Oil is the classic 
example but there are others: Egypt benefits in a similar way from the Suez 
canal and several of the poorer Arab countries receive substantial rent in 
the form of foreign aid. Overall, slightly less than 20% of Arab 
governments' revenue comes from taxes.
Taxation is an often-overlooked factor in the internal politics of the 
Middle East: it helps to explain why undemocratic regimes stay in power for 
so long. Governments that have substantial non-tax income can buy themselves 
out of trouble by showering largesse on the population, often keeping prices 
low through subsidies (as happens in Iran).
Taxes are never popular, and the higher the taxes are the more likely it is 
that people will demand a say in how the money is spent. It was the cry of 
"no taxation without representation" that spurred the American revolution in 
the 18th century, and a quarrel between King Charles I and his parliament 
over tax that helped to trigger the English revolution in the 17th century.
As a rule of thumb, high taxes can act as a spur towards democracy and 
accountable government. Conversely, where taxes are low the pressure for 
democracy and accountability is usually less.
The type of taxes also affects pressure for accountability. In general, 
Middle Eastern governments rely heavily on indirect taxes - goods, services 
and customs duties - rather than the more politically sensitive direct 
taxes. In 2006, for instance, direct taxes accounted for less than 6% of 
Arab governments' revenues. A UN report noted:
"This type of tax structure also minimises the opportunity for citizens to 
protest against their government. Direct taxes, in particular income tax, 
are viewed as the category of tax that gives citizens most proof that they 
are contributing to the public purse. "In Arab countries, the majority of 
tax receipts are derived from indirect sales and customs taxes hidden in the 
price . These types of tax typically conceal the direct link between tax 
payments and funding of the public purse, thus weakening public pressure for 
accountability."
But taxes are not just about raising money. The kind of tax system a country 
has tells us a lot about the relationship between the people and the state.
As the World Bank pointed out last year:
. Raising taxes efficiently requires political effort to secure taxpayer 
consent.
. Raising taxes effectively requires the development of a competent 
bureaucracy.
. Raising taxes equitably requires political concern for the fair and equal 
treatment of citizens by the state.
"Taxation," the report continued, "is at the centre of good governance and 
state-building. The perceived fairness of the tax system is crucial to 
building an effective state based on citizens' consent. Willingness to pay 
taxes is a good indicator of the legitimacy of the state." 

 High taxes help to build an effective state. 
Interessante, con un però.
Nel vasto giro d'orixxonte non vedo citato un importante stato
mediorientale in cui il livello di imposizione fiscale è elevatissimo (e
che forse non a caso è l'unica democrazia, dotata anche di imvidiabili
servizi sociali).
E' un vero peccato perché sarebbe stata la migliore conferma delle tesi
presentate nell' interessante (lo dico senza nesduna ironia) articolo.
-- 
Tb (bieco illuminista)

 
guardian.co.uk
, Monday 23 August 2010 09.32 BST
un articolo interessante e condivisibile 

 countries don't have them tells us much
questo spiega perchè il nostro giapponese della foresta liberista sta
così bene in EAU