2.1. The fiscal cushion
Against this backdrop, the government’s determination to move decisively to counteract the effects of global economic slowdown was emboldened by two considerations. First, in 1998 it had intervened with a fiscal stimulus programme that was widely credited with success in helping China stave off contagion in the Asian financial crisis (World Bank, 1999). Second, unlike the first time – when the fiscal stimulus was rolled out while government finances were still fragile – China’s fiscal status was far stronger in 2008.2 Since the 1994 fiscal reform, China has rebuilt its revenue mechanism, and the new tax system has proven quite buoyant. With rapid economic growth bringing in robust revenues, government coffers were overflowing, with the budget controlling a bigger share of a much larger GDP. Moreover, throughout the transition period, the government has managed its fiscal stance prudently, keeping budget deficits to less than 1% of GDP in most years. On the eve of the global financial crisis, the national debt was small (about 19% of GDP), leaving the government plenty of scope for decisive action.
2.1. The fiscal cushion
Against this backdrop, the government’s determination to move decisively to counteract the effects of global economic slowdown was emboldened by two considerations. First, in 1998 it had intervened with a fiscal stimulus programme that was widely credited with success in helping China stave off contagion in the Asian financial crisis (World Bank, 1999). Second, unlike the first time – when the fiscal stimulus was rolled out while government finances were still fragile – China’s fiscal status was far stronger in 2008.2 Since the 1994 fiscal reform, China has rebuilt its revenue mechanism, and the new tax system has proven quite buoyant. With rapid economic growth bringing in robust revenues, government coffers were overflowing, with the budget controlling a bigger share of a much larger GDP. Moreover, throughout the transition period, the government has managed its fiscal stance prudently, keeping budget deficits to less than 1% of GDP in most years. On the eve of the global financial crisis, the national debt was small (about 19% of GDP), leaving the government plenty of scope for decisive action.
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