An empirical assessment of the effect of taxes and interest rate on economic growth in Jordan: An application of dynamic autoregressive-distributed lag

Abstract

This study aims to examine the effect of taxes and interest rate on economic growth in Jordan by employing the time series data from 1970-2019. Furthermore, this study applies the Augmented Dickey-Fuller, Phillips-Perron, Saikonen and Lutkepohl and Zivot-Andrews test of unit root. Moreover, the study uses cointegration test developed by Gregory and Hansen to investigate the long-run relationship and the dynamic autoregressive distributive lags were used for the estimation result. The long run and short-run estimates reveal the positive and negative effects of taxes and the interest rate on economic growth respectively. While the 1997 Asian financial crisis and 2015 food crisis show a negative effect on economic growth. Based on the findings, the study recommends that the government authorities in Jordan should lower the interest rate that will increase the investment in order to have faster economic growth. The government should urgently plan to broaden the tax base to stimulate economic growth in Jordan. Regulators should encourage banks to start raising capital immediately to strengthen capital ratios well above prudential norms, and prepare schemes for public recapitalization and, where appropriate, public purchases of non-performing assets. The next policy fulfils the government's need to enhance agricultural productivity through better technology to ensure long-term food security and reduce poverty, as well as help to boost economic growth.