Assessing the Effectiveness of the Fiscal Policy Tools in Facilitating Inclusive Economic Growth

Introduction. Fiscal policy aims to promote economic growth and ensure inclusive growth in reaching low-income populations and benefit from economic activity. Therefore, fiscal policy instruments should be appropriately chosen to achieve inclusive growth. Maintaining the financial system's stability determines the critical role of fiscal policy, especially given its impact on economic growth and the reduction of income inequality. Therefore, it is crucial to identify targeted fiscal measures to promote economic development and reduce income inequality simultaneously. Aim and tasks. This study investigates the effects of fiscal policy instruments on inclusive growth in several selected countries, including EU members and EU candidate countries. The analysis covers the period from 1996 to 2022, using a Bayesian VAR model to examine data on direct and indirect taxation and current and capital spending, with GDP per capita (or GDP growth) and the GINI index serving as the impact variables. Results. The results indicate that capital spending positively affects GDP growth while reducing the GINI index, which causes inclusive growth but does not have an immediate impact. Current spending is a fiscal policy instrument that does not positively affect inclusive growth, as it does not promote economic growth but only increases income equality. Direct taxes increase GDP but do not always reduce the GINI index. As for indirect taxes, this policy instrument is frequently used for inclusive growth. It promotes economic growth, reduces the GINI index, and creates more equally distributed income among the population. Therefore, achieving inclusive economic growth is more feasible for the selected EU members and candidate countries through increased capital spending or indirect taxes. Conclusions. The study found that indirect taxes can reduce income inequality with inclusive growth. Capital expenditures play a crucial role in the medium and long term in helping to achieve inclusive economic growth in a country. For developing countries, direct taxes and capital expenditures can effectively achieve inclusive growth. In contrast, developed countries can achieve similar results using a combination of tax measures and expenditures.