Topic > The Saudi Economy's Dependence on Oil Revenues

Fiscal policy plays a crucial role in Saudi Arabia as the primary vehicle through which the country's oil wealth is converted into economic outcomes and distributed for the benefit of the population. Saudi Arabia's economy has always been based on oil revenues. Changing this concept requires courage and strong decisions. These decisions must have reforms and economic planning within them. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The dependence of Saudi Arabia's economy on oil revenue raises two key challenges for policymakers. The first is how to best manage the country's current heavy dependence on oil revenues and ensure that the national economy is insulated, as much as possible, from the volatility of the global oil market. The second is how to help the economy diversify so as to reduce the current dependence on oil revenues over time. To correct this situation, the push for reforms seems more durable given the political consolidation. The events of 2017 suggest that government reform efforts remain broadly on track to encourage non-oil sectors. Fiscal consolidation continued and financing sources were expanded. Efforts to improve the investment environment – ​​at least for portfolio inflows – have been intensified. The reformist push also appears more durable given the recent political consolidation by its main sponsor, the crown prince. The anti-corruption campaign appears to have destabilized some domestic investors and may weigh on investments in the short term, but it is undoubtedly a positive long-term effect for the economy. The fiscal deficit narrows as oil earnings rise. Starting from the fiscal situation, preliminary official estimates indicate that the government recorded a very small fiscal deficit of around SR230 billion or 9% of GDP in 2017, down from 13% of GDP in 2016. The main The driving factor was the recovery in oil revenues, which brought in SR110 billion in 2016. This large nominal gain was not simply the result of rising oil prices. In reality, this represents only about half of the increase. Of equal importance was the fact that the government took a much larger than normal share of oil export earnings – around 86% compared to 73% in 2016. This despite the fact that Saudi's tax rate Aramco has actually been reduced. Given Saudi Aramco's proposed privatization of Saudi Aramco, one would expect the government to receive a smaller share of oil export revenues in the years ahead, although as a dominant shareholder it can expect most of this reduction to be offset by higher dividend flows. Alawaji (2012) – Deputy Minister of Water and Electricity for Electricity Affairs and President of the Saudi Electric Company – demonstrated that Saudi Arabia takes a proactive approach to sustainable energy for income and energy savings. According to the SAMBA Financial Group (2018) report of “Saudi Arabia: Macroeconomic Forecast 2018 -2022”, Non-Oil profitability has good prospects. Non-oil revenue saw a decent increase in 2017, growing by SR66 billion. Additional taxes (such as excise duties on harmful imports and a levy on expatriate dependents) along with more efficient collection have been helpful domestically, while earnings from foreign assets have also been robust, despite a shrinking base. In the medium term, 2017.