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Discussion Paper Details

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Title: Can the Central Bank Alleviate Fiscal Burdens?

Author(s): Ricardo Reis

Publication Date: January 2017

Keyword(s): interest rates, monetary policy, Quantitative easing and Reserves

Programme Area(s): Monetary Economics and Fluctuations

Abstract: Central banks affect the resources available to fiscal authorities through the impact of their policies on the public debt, as well as through their income, their mix of assets, their liabilities, and their own solvency. This paper inspects the ability of the central bank to alleviate the fiscal burden by influencing different terms in the government resource constraint. It discusses five channels: (i) how inflation can (and cannot) lower the real burden of the public debt, (ii) how seignorage is generated and subject to what constraints, (iii) whether central bank liabilities should count as public debt, (iv) how central bank assets create income risk, and whether or not this threatens its solvency, and (v) how the central bank balance sheet can be used for fiscal redistributions. Overall, it concludes that the scope for the central bank to lower the fiscal burden is limited.

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Bibliographic Reference

Reis, R. 2017. 'Can the Central Bank Alleviate Fiscal Burdens?'. London, Centre for Economic Policy Research. https://cepr.org/active/publications/discussion_papers/dp.php?dpno=11736