This paper examines the sensitivity of inequality and poverty measures to the adult equivalence scale and the unit of analysis. Comparisons are made using parametric equivalence scales, and income units include individuals, equivalent adults and households. The role of the correlation between...

In New Zealand, excise taxes are levied on alcohol, tobacco and petrol. The advised that they should be removed and the revenue replaced by raising the standard rate of GST. This paper provides an empirical examination of these issues. First, the effects of the current system of indirect taxes...

This book develops a number of analytical models and presents empirical analyses of the equity and efficiency effects of existing indirect taxes from New Zealand. Potential tax reforms including environmental taxes are also examined and the methods presented can easily be adapted to deal with...

This article provides an update on the market for offshore issues of New Zealand dollar denominated bonds, commonly referred to as New Zealand dollar Eurobonds, Eurokiwis, New Zealand dollar Uridashi, and global issues. Net issuance of these bonds has surged in the past two years, driven by...

Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is one of the key data series used by the Reserve Bank to inform monetary policy decisions. The measures of GDP, published by Statistics New Zealand (SNZ), are estimates rather than exact figures and may be revised in subsequent releases. Analysis of the most recent...

The Forecasting and Policy System model (FPS) has been a very useful tool for forecasting and communication at the Reserve Bank of New Zealand. In part, its success has been due to pragmatic use, and the evolution of the model to reflect changing views of the New Zealand economy. However, as...

This paper presents an empirical analysis of the welfare effects of several indirect tax reforms in Australia. The welfare changes are measured in terms of equivalent variations and equivalent incomes, using estimates of the linear expenditure system for each of a range of income groups. The...