Maryam Sultan

Bio: Maryam Sultan is an academic researcher from University of Central Punjab. The author has contributed to research in topics: Indirect tax & Gross domestic product. The author has an hindex of 3, co-authored 7 publications receiving 41 citations.

Are some taxes better for growth in Pakistan? A time series analysis

Abstract: Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyze the impact of taxes on economic growth in the long run as well as in the short run. Design/methodology/approach The study uses simple time series model, where real GDP is dependent variable and different forms of taxes are explanatory variables under ARDL framework from 1976 to 2014 at annual frequency for Pakistan. Findings Direct taxes have positive relation with economic growth in the long run. Sales tax, tax on international trade (tariffs) and other indirect taxes have positive impact on economic growth of Pakistan in the long run as well as in the short run. However, sales tax and other indirect taxes impact negatively on economic growth in the short run after one year because people realize decline in their real income. Practical implications Government should increase direct taxes by increasing tax base. Indirect taxes usually indicate negative impact after one and two years; therefore, government should decrease its reliance on indirect taxes. Government should promote tax awareness among the people which increase the tax morale of people and increase the tax base. Originality/value Taxes are disaggregated into direct and indirect taxes, while indirect taxes have been further disaggregated into excise duty, sales tax, surcharges, tax on international trade and other indirect taxes. This study provides useful insight for policy makers in designing taxes and their effect on growth.

Macroeconomic determinants of income inequality in India and Pakistan

Abstract: The objective of this study is to determine the macroeconomic determinants of income inequality in India and Pakistan. The study uses panel data from 1973 to 2015 and utilizes FEM model to estimate the parameter. Following general to specific methodology macroeconomic determinants of income inequality are found. The study finds the following macroeconomic variables as determinants of income inequality i.e. per capita GDP, government consumption expenditure, fertility rate, value addition by agricultural sector, per capita arable land, urban population, and globalization. Special attention must be given to reduce high fertility rate, especially in the lower class of the society.

Export, Import and Total Trade Potential of Pakistan: A Gravity Model Approach

Abstract: This paper aims to find export, import and total trade determinants and potential of Pakistan by using augmented gravity model. Panel data for the period ranging from 2000 to 2013 across 38 countries has been used for analysis. The results obtained from gravity model confirms that export and import determinants are different from total trade determinants. Similarly, export and import potentials of Pakistan are different from total trade determinants. Pakistan has highest trade potential with Norway and Hungry while for exports the highest potential exist with Switzerland and Hungry and in case of imports Pakistan has highest potential with Norway followed by Philippines, Portugal and Greece. Border sharing countries offer lower transportation cost due to minimum distance as compared to non-border sharing countries. China and India are two major border sharing countries but only with China, Pakistan has exhausted its trade potential (both export and import potential).

Export competitiveness with border-sharing countries: an assessment of Pakistan

Abstract: Purpose The purpose of this study is to analyze the export competitiveness of Pakistan with border-sharing countries, i.e. Afghanistan, China, India and Iran for the year 2014. Design/methodology/approach The study uses revealed symmetric comparative advantage (RSCA) index to measure export competitiveness with border-sharing countries. The study has split the results into highest and marginal comparative advantage and disadvantage according to the rank. Findings Pakistan is exporting 160, 155, 133 and 60 commodities at three-digit level of Standard International Trade Code (Rev 3) classification to Afghanistan, China, India and Iran, respectively. The results suggest that Pakistan has highest and marginal comparative disadvantage in more than half of these commodities exported to border-sharing countries. Pakistan can improve its market share for rice in Afghanistan, China and Iran. Special measures and productive efforts are required to improve the export competitiveness of cotton, textile yarn and cotton fabric in border-sharing countries. Practical implications Pakistan has to adopt special strategies to improve the competitiveness of those commodities that fall in marginal comparative advantage and disadvantage. To increase the volume of cross-border trading, political and diplomatic channels are required among the countries especially the border-sharing countries. Originality/value Export competitiveness of Pakistan is analyzed for all the commodities exported to border-sharing countries and categorized into highest and marginal comparative advantage and disadvantage. To avoid the problem of asymmetry in Balassa index revealed comparative advantage, RSCA index is used.

Are Some Taxes Better for Growth in Pakistan?A Time Series Analysis

Abstract: This study analyzed the impact of taxes on economic growth of Pakistan for the period 1976 to 2014. The study has disaggregated taxes into direct and indirect tax. Indirect tax has further disaggregated into five categories (excise duty, sales tax, surcharges, tax on international trade and other taxes). By applying autoregressive distributive lag framework, study confirmed the existence of long run relationship between taxes and real GDP of Pakistan. Results indicate that in the long run direct tax, taxes on international trade, sales tax and other indirect taxes has positive and significant impact on real GDP. However, in the short run sales tax, tax on international trade and other tax have positive relationship, while excise duty has negative relation with real GDP of Pakistan. The results confirmed that direct tax, sales tax and tax on international trade are pro-growth taxes. Government should increase direct taxes as they have positive and significant impact on economic growth in the long run.

Economic growth and income inequality

Abstract: We investigate whether income inequality affects subsequent growth in a cross-country sample for 1965-90, using the models of Barro (1997), Bleaney and Nishiyama (2002) and Sachs and Warner (1997), with negative results. We then investigate the evolution of income inequality over the same period and its correlation with growth. The dominating feature is inequality convergence across countries. This convergence has been significantly faster amongst developed countries. Growth does not appear to influence the evolution of inequality over time. Outline

The Trading Potential of Eastern Europe

Abstract: This paper fits a gravity model to the trade of 76 market economies. It then applies the model to data on East European economies to estimate what their trading potential might have been, had behaved like market economies in the mid-1980s. At existing levels of national income, the liberalization of Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union is unlikely to affect their mutual trade and trade with developing countries, but it will increase trade with industrial counties by factors of three to thirty. West Germany and the USA are the principal beneficiaries of this new trade, increasing their exports and imports by over 20%. Trade must flow both ways, however: the West cannot increase its exports to the East without correspondingly increasing its imports.