![[Search]](/img/navbar/searchoff.gif){kind=small}
![[Media Releases]](/img/navbar/mediaoff.gif){kind=small}
![[Events]](/img/navbar/eventsoff.gif){kind=small}
![[Online Publications]](/img/navbar/onlineoff.gif){kind=small}
![[Order Publications]](/img/navbar/orderoff.gif){kind=small}
![[Student]](/img/navbar/studentoff.gif){kind=small}
![[Radio]](/img/navbar/radiooff.gif){kind=small}
![[National Media Archive]](/img/navbar/archiveoff.gif){kind=small}
![[Membership]](/img/navbar/membershipoff.gif){kind=small}
![[Other Resources]](/img/navbar/resourcesoff.gif){kind=small}
![[About Us]](/img/navbar/aboutoff.gif){kind=small}
Area Rating Tables: Belgium
[Previous] [Appendix 1 Contents] [Next]
| 1970 | 1975 | 1980 | 1985 | 1990 | 1995 | 1997 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summary Ratings | 9.3 | 7.8 | 8.0 | 8.1 | 8.1 | 8.2 | 8.3 |
| Rank | 2 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 10 | 12 | 14 |
| Components of Economic Freedom | 1970 | 1975 | 1980 | 1985 | 1990 | 1995 | 1997 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I. Size of Government | 6.0 | 4.7 | 5.0 | 4.9 | 5.4 | 5.2 | 7.4 | |||||||
| (a) Government Consumption (% of Total) | 7.5 | (18.3) | 7.0 | (20.9) | 6.9 | (21.6) | 7.1 | (20.3) | 7.5 | (18.1) | 7.4 | (18.9) | 7.4 | (18.7) |
| (b) Transfers and Subsidies (% of GDP) | 4.5 | (20.8) | 2.4 | (28.5) | 3.1 | (26.0) | 2.6 | (27.6) | 3.3 | (25.0) | 3.0 | (26.3) | ||
| II. Structure of the Economy and Use of Markets | 4.1 | 3.3 | 3.3 | 3.4 | 4.8 | 4.8 | ||||||||
| (a) Government Enterprises | 6.0 | 6.0 | (25.0) | 6.0 | (26.8) | 6.0 | (25.3) | 6.0 | (27.0) | 6.0 | 6.0 | |||
| (b) Price Controls | 2.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | |||||||||||
| (c) Top Marginal Tax Rate | 2.0 | (64) | 0.0 | (76) | 0.0 | (76) | 2.0 | (55-61) | 1.0 | (58-68) | 1.0 | (58-64) | ||
| (d) Conscription | 1.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 10.0 | 10.0 | |||||||
| III. Monetary Policy and Price Stability | 9.5 | 8.3 | 9.4 | 9.4 | 9.5 | 9.6 | 9.7 | |||||||
| (a) Annual Money Growth (last 5 yrs.) | 9.7 | (-1.3) | 8.6 | (6.9) | 9.6 | (1.9) | 9.7 | (1.6) | 9.4 | (2.9) | 9.4 | (3.0) | 9.9 | (-0.4) |
| (b) Inflation Variability (last 5 yrs.) | 9.7 | (0.7) | 8.8 | (3.0) | 9.4 | (1.6) | 9.8 | (0.6) | 9.6 | (1.0) | 9.6 | (0.9) | 9.6 | (1.0) |
| (c) Recent Inflation Rate | 9.1 | (4.6) | 7.5 | (12.3) | 9.2 | (4.2) | 8.8 | (6.1) | 9.4 | (3.1) | 9.7 | (1.7) | 9.7 | (1.5) |
| IV. Freedom to Use Alternative Currencies | 10.0 | 10.0 | 10.0 | 10.0 | 10.0 | 10.0 | 10.0 | |||||||
| (a) Ownership of Foreign Currency | 10.0 | 10.0 | 10.0 | 10.0 | 10.0 | 10.0 | 10.0 | |||||||
| (b) Black Market Exchange Rates (Prem.) | 10.0 | (0.0) | 10.0 | (0.0) | 10.0 | (0.0) | 10.0 | (0.0) | 10.0 | (0.0) | 10.0 | (0.0) | 10.0 | (0.0) |
| V. Legal Structure and Property Rights | 9.9 | 8.6 | 8.6 | 9.1 | 10.0 | 9.5 | 9.0 | |||||||
| (a) Private Ownership Rights | 10.0 | 8.6 | 8.6 | 8.7 | 10.0 | 10.0 | 10.0 | |||||||
| (b) Viability of Contracts | 9.9 | 8.5 | 7.2 | 8.8 | 10.0 | 8.4 | 10.0 | |||||||
| (c) Rule of Law | 10.0 | 10.0 | 10.0 | 10.0 | 7.0 | |||||||||
| VI. International Exchange | 9.5 | 9.0 | 9.0 | 9.1 | 8.7 | 8.8 | 8.6 | |||||||
| (a) Taxes on International Trade | ||||||||||||||
| i. Taxes as a Percentage of Exports and Imports | 9.7 | (0.4) | 10.0 | (0.0) | 9.8 | (0.3) | 9.8 | (0.3) | 9.7 | (0.4) | 9.7 | (0.4) | 9.7 | (0.4) |
| ii. Mean Tariff Rate | 8.1 | (9.4) | 8.2 | (8.8) | 8.5 | (7.5) | 8.5 | (7.4) | 8.7 | (6.7) | 8.6 | (6.9) | ||
| iii. Standard Deviation of Tariff Rates | 7.1 | (7.2) | 7.6 | (5.9) | 7.6 | (6.0) | ||||||||
| (b) Non-tariff Regulatory Trade Barriers | ||||||||||||||
| i. Non-tariff Trade Restraints (% of trade covered) | 8.7 | (12.6) | 8.6 | (14.3) | 8.9 | (10.9) | 9.1 | (9.0) | ||||||
| ii. Size of Trade Sector (% of GDP) | 9.0 | (101.1) | 8.9 | (106.6) | 9.9 | (127.3) | 10.0 | (149.9) | 9.8 | (143.5) | 9.0 | (140.4) | 8.7 | (139.4) |
| VII. Freedom of Exchange in Financial Markets | 10.0 | 8.7 | 10.0 | 10.0 | 8.7 | 8.6 | 8.7 | |||||||
| (a) Ownership of Banks | 10.0 | (95-100) | 10.0 | (95-100) | 10.0 | (95-100) | 10.0 | (95-100) | 10.0 | (95-100) | 10.0 | (95-100) | 10.0 | (95-100) |
| (b) Extension of Credit | 3.9 | (44.8) | 3.6 | (42.5) | 3.9 | (45.3) | ||||||||
| (c) Avoidance of Negative Interest Rates | 10.0 | 6.0 | 10.0 | 10.0 | 10.0 | 10.0 | 10.0 | |||||||
| (d) Capital Transactions with Foreigners | 10.0 | 10.0 | 10.0 | 10.0 | 10.0 | 10.0 | 10.0 | |||||||
[Previous] [Appendix 1 Contents] [Next]
info@fraserinstitute.ca
You can contact us at the above email address for any comments or information requests. Please report any dead links or technical problems. |
| Last Modified: Monday, January 10, 2000 |