Reforms in OECD Countries, 2008-09
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Australia
In Australia, no major reform was recorded.
Rank in Doing Business 2010: 9
Austria
In Austria, no major reform was recorded.
Rank in Doing Business 2010: 28
Belgium
Belgium eased property transfers by setting statutory time limits. The tax payment process and administration were improved by mandating electronic filing for medium-size businesses.
Areas of Reform: Registering property, Paying taxes
Rank in Doing Business 2010: 22
Canada
In Canada, no major reform was recorded.
Rank in Doing Business 2010: 8
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic streamlined construction permitting by reducing the internal processing time for registering new plots. The property registration process was eased with an ongoing reorganization effort at the registry combined with computerization. Paying taxes was made easier with mandatory electronic filing for all taxes, a single tax institution, and unified filing.
Areas of Reform: Dealing with construction permits, Registering property, Paying taxes
Rank in Doing Business 2010: 74
Denmark
In Denmark, no major reform was recorded.
Rank in Doing Business 2010: 6
Finland
Finland made it easier to pay taxes by extending electronic filing to corporate income taxes and reduced the burden on business and the cost of employment by cutting labor taxes.
Areas of Reform: Paying taxes
Rank in Doing Business 2010: 16
France
France improved the insolvency process by encouraging preinsolvency workouts and no longer requiring estimation of the value of assets by a public auctioneer. A fuller electronic connection between notaries and the land registry reduced the time to transfer property in France and made it easier to obtain encumbrance and ownership documents from the registry.
Areas of Reform: Registering property, Closing a business
Rank in Doing Business 2010: 31
Germany
Germany’s recent Act on the Implementation of Measures to Stabilize the Financial Market (Finanzmarktstabilisierungsgesetz) removes the requirement for potentially viable companies to file for immediate insolvency in cases of overindebtedness. The business start-up process was eased by reducing the minimum capital requirement to a value that is merely symbolic.
Areas of Reform: Starting a business, Closing a business
Rank in Doing Business 2010: 25
Greece
Greece's private credit bureau, Tiresias, expanded the amount of information it distributes in its credit reports, enhancing access to credit information.
Areas of Reform: Getting credit (information)
Rank in Doing Business 2010: 109
Hungary
Hungary further simplified business start-up by implementing online registration and requiring confirmation of registration one hour after receipt of an application.
Areas of Reform: Starting a business
Rank in Doing Business 2010: 47
Iceland
Iceland eased the tax burden on companies by reducing the corporate income tax rate from 18 percent to 15 percent.
Areas of Reform: Paying taxes
Rank in Doing Business 2010: 14
Ireland
Ireland eased property registration by reducing the maximum chargeable stamp duty for property transactions from 9 percent of the property value to 6 percent.
Areas of Reform: Registering property
Rank in Doing Business 2010: 7
Italy
In Italy, no major reform was recorded.
Rank in Doing Business 2010: 78
Japan
In Japan, no major reform was recorded.
Rank in Doing Business 2010: 15
Republic of Korea
The Republic of Korea reduced the tax burden on business by accelerating its corporate income tax reduction program from a five-year to a three-year program. The top rate will be cut from 25 percent to 20 percent by 2010. The business start-up process was simplified by eliminating the minimum capital requirement, removing the notary role, cutting taxes, putting time limits on value added tax registration, and making it possible to pay registration taxes online.
Areas of Reform: Starting a business, Paying taxes
Rank in Doing Business 2010: 19
Luxembourg
Luxembourg made hiring and redundancy dismissal less flexible and more costly with the introduction of a law establishing a single status for blue-collar and white-collar workers. The business start-up process was eased by making it possible to reserve a company name online and abolishing capital duties.
Areas of Reform: Starting a business, Employing workers (making it more difficult)
Rank in Doing Business 2010: 64
Netherlands
In the Netherlands, a new Spatial Planning Law was enacted to improve the construction regulation process.
Areas of Reform: Dealing with construction permits
Rank in Doing Business 2010: 30
New Zealand
New Zealand increased the fees related to the construction permitting process.
Areas of Reform: Dealing with construction permits (making it more difficult)
Rank in Doing Business 2010: 2
Norway
Norway sped up contract enforcement with the introduction and monitoring of tighter deadlines.
Areas of Reform: Enforcing contracts
Rank in Doing Business 2010: 10
Portugal
Portugal reduced the time and improved the procedures for contract enforcement by enabling e-filing for the initiation of a suit and by lessening the need for a judge’s intervention in the execution of judgment. Employing workers was made more difficult by restricting the use of fixed-term contracts and increasing the notice period for redundancy dismissals. Property registration was sped up with computerization at the Registry and an amendment to the Registry Code making the use of notaries optional. Portugal improved the efficiency of customs administration through training for agents and enhanced customer service, reducing customs clearance times. It also introduced an improved fire safety appraisal system for new construction projects and faster registration of new buildings.
Areas of Reform: Dealing with construction permits, Employing workers (making it more difficult), Registering property, Trading across borders, Enforcing contracts
Rank in Doing Business 2010: 48
Slovak Republic
The Slovak Republic sped up trading times with an electronic system for customs administration.
Areas of Reform: Trading across borders
Rank in Doing Business 2010: 42
Spain
Spain eased the tax burden on business by reducing the corporate income tax rate from 32.5 percent to 30 percent and increasing efficiency through an electronic filing and payment system.
Areas of Reform: Paying taxes
Rank in Doing Business 2010: 62
Sweden
In Sweden, no major reform was recorded.
Rank in Doing Business 2010: 18
Switzerland
In Switzerland, no major reform was recorded.
Rank in Doing Business 2010: 21
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom eased the process of dealing with construction permits with wider use of approved inspectors, reducing the time and number of steps required. The lodging of a land transaction return is now processed automatically and electronically by the revenue and customs authority, reducing the time to register property.
Areas of Reform: Dealing with construction permits, Registering property
Rank in Doing Business 2010: 5
United States
In the United States, no major reform was recorded.
Rank in Doing Business 2010: 4