2012年-世界发展银行全球_Doing_Business_Economy_Profile_2013___Lebanon_114页_1mb

Lebanon Economy Profile - Doing Business 2013

Core Content Overview

The Doing Business 2013 report provides an in-depth analysis of the regulatory environment for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Lebanon, comparing it with other economies in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region and globally. It measures the ease of doing business across 11 key areas, including starting a business, construction permits, electricity access, property registration, credit access, investor protection, tax compliance, cross-border trade, contract enforcement, insolvency resolution, and employment regulations.

Main Points

Ease of Doing Business Index

• Lebanon ranked 115th out of 185 economies in 2013, a 3-point decline from 2012.
• The index evaluates the ease of business regulations and their impact on SMEs, using percentile rankings on 10 topics.

Key Business Regulation Indicators

Getting Electricity

• Lebanon ranked 47th globally.
• 5 procedures, 75 days, and 99.5% of income per capita cost.
• Comparator economies: Egypt (99), Jordan (38), Saudi Arabia (12), United Arab Emirates (7).
• Best performer: Iceland (1).

Registering Property

• Lebanon ranked 108th globally.
• 8 procedures, 25 days, and 5.8% of property value cost.
• Comparator economies: Egypt (95), Jordan (102), Saudi Arabia (12), United Arab Emirates (12).
• Best performer: Georgia (1).

Getting Credit

• Lebanon ranked 104th globally.
• Strength of legal rights index: 3
• Depth of credit information index: 5
• Public registry coverage: 18.6%
• Private bureau coverage: 0.0%
• Best performer: United Kingdom (1).

Protecting Investors

• Lebanon ranked 100th globally.
• Disclosure index: 9
• Director liability index: 1
• Ease of shareholder suits index: 5
• Investor protection index: 5.0
• Best performer: New Zealand (1).

Paying Taxes

• Lebanon ranked 37th globally.
• 19 payments per year, 180 hours, and $1,080 per container cost for exports.
• Best performer: United Arab Emirates (1).

Trading Across Borders

• Lebanon ranked 95th globally.
• 5 documents for exports, 7 days to export, and $1,080 per container cost.
• Best performer: Singapore (1).

Enforcing Contracts

• Lebanon ranked 121st globally.
• 37 procedures, 721 days, and 30.8% of claim cost.
• Best performer: Luxembourg (1).

Resolving Insolvency

• Lebanon ranked 131st globally.
• 4 years to resolve, 22% of estate cost.
• Best performer: Japan (1).

Key Insights

• Regulatory Environment: Lebanon's regulatory environment for SMEs is among the most challenging in the MENA region and globally.
• Cost and Time: The process of starting a business, getting electricity, and resolving insolvency remains expensive and time-consuming.
• Reforms: While some reforms were implemented in 2009 and 2010 (such as streamlining the business registration process and simplifying company formalities), recent years have seen no significant changes or even an increase in costs.
• Comparative Performance: Lebanon lags behind many of its regional and global comparator economies in several areas, particularly in investor protection and tax compliance.
• Data Methodology: The report uses a standardized company model, assuming a local limited liability company with 10–50 employees and operating in the largest business city. The data does not include all aspects of the business environment, such as infrastructure quality or macroeconomic conditions.

Changes Over Time

• The number of procedures for starting a business remained unchanged from 2012 to 2013.
• The time to start a business decreased slightly from 9 to 9 days.
• The cost of starting a business decreased slightly from 67.1% to 67.0% of income per capita.
• The paid-in minimum capital requirement also decreased slightly from 35.3% to 35.2% of income per capita.

Conclusion

The Doing Business 2013 report highlights the challenges Lebanon faces in creating a more business-friendly regulatory environment. While some improvements were made in the past, recent data suggest that the country is not moving significantly forward. There is potential for reform, particularly in reducing costs, streamlining procedures, and improving investor protection. The report serves as a tool for policymakers to identify areas where changes can have the greatest impact on the ease of doing business.