Close eye or closed eye: The case of export misinvoicing in Bangladesh

Export subsidies can generate or curb many perverse incentives for exporters, their expansionary effects on exports notwithstanding. These include expansion into soft markets or even deflection of domestic production into markets with similar taste and product specifications. Also, if there is under...

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Main Authors: Gupta, Pranav Kumar, Roy, Devesh, Ahmad, Kaikaus
Format: Artículo preliminar
Language:Inglés
Published: International Food Policy Research Institute 2012
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/153827
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author Gupta, Pranav Kumar
Roy, Devesh
Ahmad, Kaikaus
author_browse Ahmad, Kaikaus
Gupta, Pranav Kumar
Roy, Devesh
author_facet Gupta, Pranav Kumar
Roy, Devesh
Ahmad, Kaikaus
author_sort Gupta, Pranav Kumar
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Export subsidies can generate or curb many perverse incentives for exporters, their expansionary effects on exports notwithstanding. These include expansion into soft markets or even deflection of domestic production into markets with similar taste and product specifications. Also, if there is under-invoicing, in principle it should decline with export subsidies since the government makes cash transfers based on the invoice presented to the authorities. In this paper, we study the effect of export subsidies on the under-invoicing of exports in Bangladesh. In a framework that allows for unobserved heterogeneity among importing countries and product specificities, we find evidence for under-invoicing in Bangladesh. The evidence at first seems counterintuitive, with a statistically significant increase in under-invoicing after introduction of a subsidy. After a more careful analysis, however, the positive incentives for under-invoicing can be explained by reasons such as black market premium (BMP) in foreign exchange markets or domestic tax evasion (among other factors). Even though BMP has been declining in Bangladesh over time, the incentives to evade domestic taxes (particularly with a nonlinear tax schedule and inclusion of subsidies on the inflow side of a firm’s balance sheet) remain strong, bolstered by weak enforcement.
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spelling CGSpace1538272025-11-06T07:22:00Z Close eye or closed eye: The case of export misinvoicing in Bangladesh Gupta, Pranav Kumar Roy, Devesh Ahmad, Kaikaus exports export controls subsidies Export subsidies can generate or curb many perverse incentives for exporters, their expansionary effects on exports notwithstanding. These include expansion into soft markets or even deflection of domestic production into markets with similar taste and product specifications. Also, if there is under-invoicing, in principle it should decline with export subsidies since the government makes cash transfers based on the invoice presented to the authorities. In this paper, we study the effect of export subsidies on the under-invoicing of exports in Bangladesh. In a framework that allows for unobserved heterogeneity among importing countries and product specificities, we find evidence for under-invoicing in Bangladesh. The evidence at first seems counterintuitive, with a statistically significant increase in under-invoicing after introduction of a subsidy. After a more careful analysis, however, the positive incentives for under-invoicing can be explained by reasons such as black market premium (BMP) in foreign exchange markets or domestic tax evasion (among other factors). Even though BMP has been declining in Bangladesh over time, the incentives to evade domestic taxes (particularly with a nonlinear tax schedule and inclusion of subsidies on the inflow side of a firm’s balance sheet) remain strong, bolstered by weak enforcement. 2012 2024-10-01T13:57:52Z 2024-10-01T13:57:52Z Working Paper https://hdl.handle.net/10568/153827 en Open Access application/pdf International Food Policy Research Institute Gupta, Pranav Kumar; Roy, Devesh; Ahmad, Kaikaus. 2012. Close eye or closed eye: The case of export misinvoicing in Bangladesh. IFPRI Discussion Paper 1157. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). https://hdl.handle.net/10568/153827
spellingShingle exports
export controls
subsidies
Gupta, Pranav Kumar
Roy, Devesh
Ahmad, Kaikaus
Close eye or closed eye: The case of export misinvoicing in Bangladesh
title Close eye or closed eye: The case of export misinvoicing in Bangladesh
title_full Close eye or closed eye: The case of export misinvoicing in Bangladesh
title_fullStr Close eye or closed eye: The case of export misinvoicing in Bangladesh
title_full_unstemmed Close eye or closed eye: The case of export misinvoicing in Bangladesh
title_short Close eye or closed eye: The case of export misinvoicing in Bangladesh
title_sort close eye or closed eye the case of export misinvoicing in bangladesh
topic exports
export controls
subsidies
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/153827
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