Impact of Methods of Financing Government Expenditures on Economic Growth in Iran (Emphasizing the Oil and Tax Revenues)

Government spending on public infrastructure, education and healthcare can provide a positive boost to economic growth, however each financing sources can affect economic growth differently. Which source of finance is less distortionary and boosts growth? In order to answer this question, this paper analyzes the impact of financing sources (oil and tax revenues) on the Iranian economic growth. To this, we use the Smooth Transition Regression model (STR) and annual data during 1971 to 2011. We find that each source of finance, and the way it is used affects economic growth differently. Our findings support two threshold behaviors in the relationship between method of financing and economic growth in Iran. This estimated threshold was 21.74 percent of GDP for oil revenues and 5.67 percent of GDP for tax revenues. Whenever proportion of oil revenues in GDP is less than 21.74 percent, financing through oil revenues have positive effect and whenever it is more than 21.74 percent, financing through oil revenues has significant and negative effect on the economic growth. Furthermore, with threshold value 5.67 for proportion of tax revenues in GDP, in both regimes financing through tax revenues have positive effect on the economic growth. Finally, the findings suggest that using oil revenues for financing government expenditures must include significant restrictions, and it is highly suggested to be replaced by tax revenues.