Free Trade 36: Taxation, Regulations, Trade and Rule of Law in ASEAN

This is my paper presented during the Stratbase Forum on ASEAN Competitiveness last July 23, 2014 in Makati, organized by Stratbase Research Institute (SRI). SRI also published this today and circulated to their friends  and clients.

The 11-slides presentation including 9 tables and 2 charts is posted in my slideshare wall. 

I am posting 4 of 9 tables and 2 charts here.

Table 1. Major Taxes in the ASEAN, 2013

Source: KPMG, 2013.ASEAN Tax Guide, Overview, p. 10.

Table 3. Ease and Unease in Starting a Business and Getting Construction Permits in ASEAN-9.

Source: WB-IFC, Doing Business 2014 Report

Acronyms below:

CEPT - Common Effective Preferential Tariff

CLMV - Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Viet Nam

ASEAN 5 - Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand.

Chart 1. Intra-ASEAN Preferential Tariffs, Average CEPT Rates,1993-2012, in Percent

Source: ASEAN Secretariat and the WB, 2013. ASEAN Integration Monitoring Report

Table 5. Mechandise Exports, in $ Billion

Source: ADB, Key Indicators for Asia and the Pacific 2013, www.adb.org/statistics

Chart 2. Non-Tariff Measures (NTMs) in ASEAN by Type -- Officially Notified

Source: ASEAN Secretariat and the WB, 2013. ASEAN Integration Monitoring Report

Table 6. Ease or Unease of International Trade, ASEAN-9.

Source: WB-IFC, Doing Business 2014 Report

Concluding Notes

1. The Philippines and other Asian economies need to reduce and simplify their tax rates. Tax competition...

2. The Philippines and other Asian economies need to reduce bureaucracies that affect business. Entrepreneurship and job creation is not a criminal act ...

3. Free trade results in cheaper products and services for the participating economies...

4. High number of laws in each country can be a hindrance to rule of law. If one will consider national or federal laws + state or provincial laws + city or municipal laws + village/barangay laws... Executive Orders, Administrative Orders... one is talking about tens of thousands of laws and orders....

5. To encourage economic competitiveness of the Philippines and the rest of ASEAN, they need less taxation and business regulations, more trade and rule of law. 

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See also:
Free Trade 32: Hong Kong's Unilateral Trade Liberalization and John Cowperthwaite, February 12, 2014
Free Trade 33: ASEAN Economic Community 2016, February 16, 2014
Free Trade 34: ASEAN's Bilateral and Regional FTAs, February 27, 2014
Free Trade 35: EU-FNF Forum on 'FDI Engine for Job Growth', May 15, 2014

Business 360 5: Reducing Construction and Electricity Bureaucracies, March 14, 2013
Rule of Law 23: RoL Index 2014 by the World Justice Project, July 22, 2014