2011年-世界发展银行全球_Enterprise_Surveys___Panama_Country_Profile_2010_15页_870kb

Panama Country Profile 2010: Enterprise Surveys Summary

Core Content Overview

The Panama Country Profile 2010, part of the World Bank Group's Enterprise Surveys, provides a comprehensive assessment of the business environment in Panama. The survey covers small, medium, and large firms in the non-agricultural formal private economy, offering insights into key indicators such as infrastructure, trade, regulations, corruption, crime, finance, and innovation. The data is benchmarked against regional averages in Latin America & Caribbean and against the upper middle-income group.

Main Topics and Indicators

Business Environment Obstacles

The survey highlights the challenges firms face in Panama, including:

• Corruption: A composite index of corruption (Graft Index) indicates that 6.6% of firms were asked or expected to pay a bribe for public services.
• Gifts to officials: 6.4% of firms reported expecting to give gifts during meetings with tax inspectors, while 4.9% expected to give gifts for construction permits.
• Government contracts: A very low percentage of firms (0.0%) expected to give gifts to secure government contracts.
• Informality: Only 0.3% of firms reported losses due to theft, robbery, vandalism, and arson, but 99.7% of firms were formally registered when starting operations.

Regulations, Taxes, and Business Licensing

Key findings include:

• Permit delays: It takes an average of 25.1 days to obtain a construction-related permit, 66.3 days for an operating license, and 12.1 days for an import license.
• Tax interactions: Senior management spends an average of 33.3% of their time dealing with government regulatory requirements, and the average number of meetings with tax officials is 0.8 per year.
• Business structure: 56.7% of firms are closed shareholding companies, 36.3% are open shareholding companies, and 5.8% are sole proprietorships.

Infrastructure

Infrastructure challenges in Panama include:

• Power outages: On average, 2.7 power outages occur per month, with firms losing 2.1% of sales due to these outages.
• Water shortages: 3.4 water shortages occur per month, with an average duration of 3.4 hours, and firms lose 1.4% of sales due to water issues.
• Service delays: Delays in obtaining electrical, water, and telephone connections are 1.8, 8.9, and 7.9 days respectively, compared to regional averages of 22.7, 28.1, and 16.4 days.

Trade

Trade-related indicators reveal:

• Exporter firms: 10.2% of firms in Panama export directly or indirectly, while 26.6% use foreign inputs.
• Customs delays: The average time to clear direct exports is 7.6 days, and imports take 3.7 days. These delays add to the operational costs of firms.
• Transport losses: 0.1% of firms report losses during direct exports due to theft, and 0.1% due to breakage or spoilage.

Corruption

• Graft Index: 6.6% of firms were asked or expected to pay a bribe for public services.
• Gifts to officials: 6.4% of firms expect to give gifts during meetings with tax inspectors.
• Government contracts: 0.0% of firms expect to give gifts to secure a government contract.
• Import licenses: 7.4% of firms expect to give gifts to obtain an import license.
• Operating licenses: 8.5% of firms expect to give gifts for an operating license.

Crime and Informality

• Court fairness: Only 10.3% of firms believe the court system is fair, impartial, and uncorrupted.
• Security costs: These account for 1.1% of sales, with losses due to theft, robbery, etc., at 0.3% of sales.
• Informality: 99.7% of firms were formally registered when starting operations, suggesting a relatively low level of informality.

Finance

• Internal finance: 93.0% of firms use internal finance for investment.
• Bank finance: Only 0.8% of firms use bank finance for investment.
• Working capital: 7.7% of firms use external financing for working capital.
• Collateral requirements: The average collateral needed for a loan is 240.2% of the loan amount.
• Bank loans: 20.7% of firms have bank loans or lines of credit.
• Bank accounts: 69.1% of firms have checking or savings accounts.

Innovation and Workforce

• Quality certifications: 22.5% of firms hold internationally recognized quality certifications.
• External audits: 56.8% of firms have their annual financial statements reviewed by external auditors.
• Website usage: 40.5% of firms use their own websites.
• Email communication: 67.7% of firms use email to communicate with clients and suppliers.
• Workforce composition: The average number of temporary workers is 1.1, and permanent full-time workers is 32.5.
• Female participation: 41.7% of firms have full-time female workers.

Key Takeaways

• Panama's business environment is marked by moderate levels of corruption and regulatory inefficiencies.
• Infrastructure challenges, particularly electricity and water, significantly affect firm operations and productivity.
• Trade processes are generally efficient, but delays in customs clearance and transport risks remain a concern.
• The financial system is not highly developed, with firms heavily reliant on internal financing and facing high collateral requirements.
• The workforce is largely composed of permanent full-time workers, and there is moderate female participation in employment.
• The level of informality is low, with nearly all firms being formally registered at startup.