A economia subterrânea em Moçambique, seu impacto na receita fiscal

Abstract

The shadow economy in Mozambique, its impact on tax revenue The shadow economy is a universal phenomenon that, due to the nature of the activities involved, makes it complex and difficult to estimate. Therefore, before estimating and evaluating its impact on tax revenue in Mozambique, this paper reviews the concept of shadow economy, trying to distinguish it from the informal sector. For its estimation in the period 1993(3)-2006( 12), the indirect (monetary) method proposed by Cagan in 1958, adapted to the specificities of the country, was used. This method does not necessarily capture all activities of the shadow economy, but those induced by fiscal pressure, and provides information on the tax evasion that is the main cause of the deterioration of the tax base. In estimating the shadow economy, it was noted that Mozambique in the period in question presented activities transacted outside the official economy on average of 59% of GDP, corresponding to a loss of tax revenue due to tax evasion on average of 58.44% of current revenue , equivalent to 4,785.7 million meticais (6.5% of GDP). The behavior of these activities was largely due to the variation in fiscal pressure resulting from the fiscal reforms in force in the country, mainly since the introduction of the stabilization and structural adjustment programs supported by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. This fact shows that, in the context of the presence of a larger shadow economy, the tax reforms adopted have not been sufficient, as they have on the one hand privileged the increase in tax revenue through tax increases and not necessarily by broadening the tax base and, by on the other hand, they promote an unequal tax burden between modern and traditional sectors and also between large and small companies. Therefore, to reduce the shadow economy and tax evasion, tax reforms must be accompanied by improvements in the institutional sphere linked to the taxation system, fundamentally related to the cost and risk of entering the formal sector and the inequality in the tax contribution between sectors and small and large companies.