Welfare and Fiscal Implications from Increased Gasoline Prices in the Islamic Republic of Iran

Facing a fiscal crisis, the Islamic Republic of Iran decided to increase gasoline prices at the end of 2019. This paper estimates the impact of the price increase on household welfare and government revenue, using the most recent Household Expendit...

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Main Authors: Atamanov, Aziz, Mostafavi Dehzooei, Mohammadhadi, Wai-Poi, Matthew
Format: Working Paper
Language:English
Published: World Bank, Washington, DC 2020
Subjects:
Online Access:http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/289841588875283367/Welfare-and-Fiscal-Implications-from-Increased-Gasoline-Prices-in-the-Islamic-Republic-of-Iran
http://hdl.handle.net/10986/33744
id okr-10986-33744
recordtype oai_dc
spelling okr-10986-337442022-09-20T00:11:54Z Welfare and Fiscal Implications from Increased Gasoline Prices in the Islamic Republic of Iran Atamanov, Aziz Mostafavi Dehzooei, Mohammadhadi Wai-Poi, Matthew GASOLINE PRICE POVERTY SUBSIDIES FISCAL TRENDS INCOME ELASTICITY CASH TRANSFERS FISCAL IMPACT OIL PRICES Facing a fiscal crisis, the Islamic Republic of Iran decided to increase gasoline prices at the end of 2019. This paper estimates the impact of the price increase on household welfare and government revenue, using the most recent Household Expenditure and Income Survey conducted by the Statistical Center of Iran in March 2018-March 2019. The paper looks at the direct and indirect impacts of the reform and quantifies the compensatory cash transfer program the government instituted. Despite very regressive gasoline subsidies benefitting the rich the most, the increase in gasoline prices is found to affect the poor to a greater extent due to larger negative indirect impacts as well as their relatively low incomes. In total, poverty is estimated to increase by about 2.9 percentage points, with the direct impact accounting for a third of this increase. The proposed government scheme, if targeted perfectly to the poorest 18 million households, would fully compensate the poorest bottom 50 percent of the population and reduce poverty to below pre-reform levels. The annual cost of the program will be around 338 trillion rials, which accounts for 77 percent of the estimated total savings from the subsidies reform (439 trillion rials). 2020-05-14T14:19:08Z 2020-05-14T14:19:08Z 2020-05 Working Paper http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/289841588875283367/Welfare-and-Fiscal-Implications-from-Increased-Gasoline-Prices-in-the-Islamic-Republic-of-Iran http://hdl.handle.net/10986/33744 English Policy Research Working Paper;No. 9235 CC BY 3.0 IGO http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo World Bank World Bank, Washington, DC Publications & Research Publications & Research :: Policy Research Working Paper Middle East and North Africa Iran, Islamic Republic of
repository_type Digital Repository
institution_category Foreign Institution
institution Digital Repositories
building World Bank Open Knowledge Repository
collection World Bank
language English
topic GASOLINE PRICE
POVERTY
SUBSIDIES
FISCAL TRENDS
INCOME ELASTICITY
CASH TRANSFERS
FISCAL IMPACT
OIL PRICES
spellingShingle GASOLINE PRICE
POVERTY
SUBSIDIES
FISCAL TRENDS
INCOME ELASTICITY
CASH TRANSFERS
FISCAL IMPACT
OIL PRICES
Atamanov, Aziz
Mostafavi Dehzooei, Mohammadhadi
Wai-Poi, Matthew
Welfare and Fiscal Implications from Increased Gasoline Prices in the Islamic Republic of Iran
geographic_facet Middle East and North Africa
Iran, Islamic Republic of
relation Policy Research Working Paper;No. 9235
description Facing a fiscal crisis, the Islamic Republic of Iran decided to increase gasoline prices at the end of 2019. This paper estimates the impact of the price increase on household welfare and government revenue, using the most recent Household Expenditure and Income Survey conducted by the Statistical Center of Iran in March 2018-March 2019. The paper looks at the direct and indirect impacts of the reform and quantifies the compensatory cash transfer program the government instituted. Despite very regressive gasoline subsidies benefitting the rich the most, the increase in gasoline prices is found to affect the poor to a greater extent due to larger negative indirect impacts as well as their relatively low incomes. In total, poverty is estimated to increase by about 2.9 percentage points, with the direct impact accounting for a third of this increase. The proposed government scheme, if targeted perfectly to the poorest 18 million households, would fully compensate the poorest bottom 50 percent of the population and reduce poverty to below pre-reform levels. The annual cost of the program will be around 338 trillion rials, which accounts for 77 percent of the estimated total savings from the subsidies reform (439 trillion rials).
format Working Paper
author Atamanov, Aziz
Mostafavi Dehzooei, Mohammadhadi
Wai-Poi, Matthew
author_facet Atamanov, Aziz
Mostafavi Dehzooei, Mohammadhadi
Wai-Poi, Matthew
author_sort Atamanov, Aziz
title Welfare and Fiscal Implications from Increased Gasoline Prices in the Islamic Republic of Iran
title_short Welfare and Fiscal Implications from Increased Gasoline Prices in the Islamic Republic of Iran
title_full Welfare and Fiscal Implications from Increased Gasoline Prices in the Islamic Republic of Iran
title_fullStr Welfare and Fiscal Implications from Increased Gasoline Prices in the Islamic Republic of Iran
title_full_unstemmed Welfare and Fiscal Implications from Increased Gasoline Prices in the Islamic Republic of Iran
title_sort welfare and fiscal implications from increased gasoline prices in the islamic republic of iran
publisher World Bank, Washington, DC
publishDate 2020
url http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/289841588875283367/Welfare-and-Fiscal-Implications-from-Increased-Gasoline-Prices-in-the-Islamic-Republic-of-Iran
http://hdl.handle.net/10986/33744
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