This Selected Issues paper and Statistical Appendix describes Palau's financial sector, its recent performance, and developments in regulatory reform. The paper considers illustrative scenarios of possible outcomes for public spending levels and growth under different assumptions with respect to future grants and the long-term value of government assets held in the Compact Trust Fund. Sensitivity of the results to the rate of return on assets is considered. The paper also covers recent fiscal performance, revenue and expenditure reforms, and some financing issues.

This Selected Issues paper describes Palau’s fiscal challenges and policy options to achieve long-term fiscal sustainability. Palau relies heavily on compact grants, and without continued fiscal consolidation over the medium term, the fiscal position will become unsustainable after these grants expire in FY2024. The fiscal sustainability analysis uses an intertemporal budget constraint model to show that reducing the current deficit excluding grants by about 8 percentage points of GDP during FY2014–19 would ensure Palau’s long-term fiscal sustainability. The paper also discusses the role of tourism in Palau and identifies policy priorities to further promote this sector and sustain growth.

The Republic of Palau (Palau) has always been heavily dependent on external assistance. The availability of steady grants has allowed Palau to maintain a sizable public sector. A number of issues are considered in designing a comprehensive management strategy for the Compact Trust Fund (CTF). The following statistical data are also included in this paper: social indicators, financial position of compact trust fund, imports by product category, by country, or territory of origin, balance of payments, and so on.

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