A Granger Causal Analysis of Tax-Spend Hypothesis: Evidence from Malaysia

Abstract

In economics, the investigation of the association between government revenues (GR) and government expenditures (GE) remains an essential discussion because of its vital role in policy implication concerning the Budget deficit. This paper aims to conduct a causal analysis of these two fiscal variables (government revenue and expenditure) using financial time-series data covering the period from 1990 to 2019 of Malaysia. The analyses used the unit root, Johanson Cointegration, and the Vector Error Correction Model (VECM). Unit root test proposed tested variables are integrated at a level first. Johanson's cointegration test disclosed the fact that long-run relationships exist between the tested variable. Finally, Granger causality analysis reveals a one-way relation between government revenues and expenditures and this unidirectional association is from revenues to expenditures which indicates that in Malaysia, expenditures are supported by revenues; in other words, the Tax-spend hypothesis is supported. In VECM short-run analysis, government revenues can affect government expenditures significantly and 11% disequilibrium can be corrected in the short-run. In short-run and long-run revenues are supporting expenditures. The study recommends that to avoid a high risk of economic problems like a fiscal illusion, unnecessary financial burden, and inflation policymakers should not be imposing a high tax rate to cut the budget deficit.