Fiscal policies for economic sustainability in COVID-19: what do subnational governments in Brazil and Colombia reveal?

Abstract

This research aims to compare public governance response measures regarding the fiscal policies adopted by subnational governments for economic sustainability in Brazil and Colombia in the face of the Covid-19 crisis. Data collection was performed on 92 government websites from 27 Brazilian states and 33 Colombian departments (subnational governments). Through exploratory qualitative analysis, fiscal policies were studied between 2020 and 2021, instituted by laws and decrees. Categorized into two strands: (i) laws supporting the maintenance of economic sustainability and (ii) tax incentives. The main results indicated that in a short time government needed to create methods and tools to adapt to the context of social isolation and revealed fiscal policies to support small businesses. In Brazil, governments have implemented actions: supporting vulnerable people, self-employed entrepreneurs, small businesses, such as granting financial credit. In addition to tax incentives, there was exemption, postponement and payment in installments. In Colombia, a line of credit was granted to support the liquidity of all companies in the tourism sector, the incentives were granted through tax exemptions, except for the tourism and air transport sectors. As much as the incentives launched were aimed at minimizing the impacts of the pandemic and maintaining part of the revenue collected by governments, for both countries the need for tax reform was evident. It should be noted that Colombia started processing the tax reform project in 2021 and on November 4, 2023, it was approved by both legislative houses, and is in the final drafting process. This article theoretically contributes to the expansion of studies that assess economic sustainability and public governance in developing countries in the face of relevant economic crises.