How would the euro zone’s fiscal rules be rewritten today?
The euro zone’s fiscal rules are well known: structural fiscal deficit below 0.5% of GDP (1% of GDP for countries whose public debt ratio is lower than 60%); total fiscal deficit below 3% of GDP; public debt ratio returning to 60% of GDP in no more than 20 years if it is higher than this level. If it could be done , how might we rewrite these rules today? All limits to cyclical fiscal deficits w ould be abolished: governments must have free rein in the event of a recession and crisis; Even though difficult to do, a distinction would be drawn between current public spending and public spending that truly generates growth and productivity; there is no reason to forbid the latter from being financed by public debt; A distinction would also be drawn between the public debt that is held by the ECB and that which is not, as the former has no effect on government solvency; it only makes sense to limit the latter; Irreversible monetisation of cyclical fiscal deficits would be permitted in order to enable highly expansionary fiscal policies during crises; monetisation of structural fiscal deficits would be forbidden so as to avoid the moral hazard created by monetisation with respect to fiscal policy.
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