How to Tax in Asia’s Digital Age
By Era Dabla-Norris, Ruud De Mooij, Andrew Hodge, and Dinar Prihardini
New global reforms will change where tech giants pay taxes in Asia and make the international tax system more robust. […]
The Future of Asia: What a Difference a Year Can Make
By Chang Yong Rhee and Katsiaryna Svirydzenka
The Sydney Opera resumed live performances and the city of Melbourne recently hosted the Australian Open tennis tournament with fans (mostly) in attendance. […]
Divergent Recoveries in Asia: History is not Destiny
by Davide Furceri, Jonathan D. Ostry, and Anthony C.K. Tan
Asian economies are performing better than expected. In the IMF’s latest World Economic Outlook Update, we upgraded our growth estimate for 2020 by 0.7 percentage point from our previous forecast in October, to a contraction of 1.5 percent—in regional terms, a better outcome than other parts of the world. […]
Engines Not Yet in Sync: A Multispeed Recovery in Asia
The Asia-Pacific region is recovering from its worst recession in living memory. Our latest Regional Economic Outlook shows that a recovery started in the third quarter, but growth engines are not all firing with the same power across countries, leading to a multispeed recovery. […]
Top 10 Blogs on COVID-19
By IMFBlog
The pandemic has altered people’s lives in both enormous and small ways. Our editors have picked the top recent blogs that dig into the details of what COVID-19 means for people: the impact on women and the young, what it means for the food supply, and how it can increase already growing inequality, to name a few. […]
Chart of the WeekLow Internet Access Driving Inequality
COVID-19 and the Great Lockdown triggered a mass migration from analog to digital and highlighted that access to the Internet is crucial for socioeconomic inclusion. […]
Emerging from the Great Lockdown in Asia and Europe
By Changyong Rhee and Poul M. Thomsen
عربي, 中文, Español, Français, 日本語, Português, Русский
Several countries in Asia and Europe, where the COVID-19 outbreak appears to have peaked, are gradually reopening their economies. Without a vaccine or effective treatment, policymakers will be balancing the benefits of resuming economic activity against the potential cost of another increase in infection rates. […]
A “New Deal” for Informal Workers in Asia
By Era Dabla-Norris and Changyong Rhee
عربي, 中文, Español, Français,日本語, Português, Русский
Full or partial lockdowns to curb the spread of COVID-19 are having crippling effects on businesses and workers across Asia, as elsewhere. Among the most vulnerable of the workers are the ones working in part-time and temporary jobs without social insurance, and in sectors of the economy that are neither taxed, nor regulated by any form of government.
A Post-Coronavirus Recovery in Asia—Extending a “Whatever it Takes” Lifeline to Small Businesses
By Kenneth Kang and Changyong Rhee
عربي, 中文, Français, 日本語, Русский
Asia was hit hard by the first wave of the coronavirus, as the sudden stop in activity struck households and firms simultaneously—first in China, then elsewhere in Asia, and now globally. Policymakers responded swiftly with aggressive spending to support the medical response and vulnerable households and firms. And central banks took swift actions to expand liquidity.