2012年-世界发展银行全球_Doing_Business_Economy_Profile_2013___Lao_Peoples_Democratic_Republic_111页_1mb

Summary of Lao PDR Economy Profile - Doing Business 2013

Core Content Overview

This document provides an analysis of the business environment in Lao PDR based on the Doing Business 2013 report, which evaluates regulations affecting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across 11 key areas. It offers rankings, procedures, time, and cost data for starting a business, dealing with construction permits, getting electricity, registering property, getting credit, protecting investors, paying taxes, trading across borders, enforcing contracts, resolving insolvency, and employing workers.

Main Indicators and Rankings

The report ranks Lao PDR 163 out of 185 economies on the ease of doing business index, showing a 3-point improvement from DB2012 (166). The ranking is based on the simple average of percentile rankings across 10 topics. The employing workers indicator is not included in the aggregate ranking but is presented separately.

Key Points

• Starting a Business: In Lao PDR, it takes 6 procedures, 92 days, and 7.1% of income per capita to start a business. The paid-in minimum capital is 0.0% of income per capita.
• Dealing with Construction Permits: Requires 23 procedures, takes 108 days, and costs 48.6% of income per capita.
• Getting Electricity: Requires 5 procedures, takes 134 days, and costs $2,130.5 per container.
• Registering Property: Requires 5 procedures, takes 98 days, and costs 1.1% of property value.
• Getting Credit: Requires 42 procedures, takes 443 days, and costs 31.6% of claim.
• Protecting Investors: Has a strength of investor protection index of 1.7 out of 10.
• Paying Taxes: Requires 34 payments, takes 362 hours, and costs $2,140 per container.
• Trading Across Borders: Requires 10 documents to export and 10 to import, takes 26 days to export and 26 days to import, and costs $2,140 and $2,125 respectively.
• Enforcing Contracts: Takes 443 days and costs 31.6% of claim.
• Resolving Insolvency: No practice is recorded, indicating a lack of formal procedures.

Trends and Reforms

• Lao PDR has made some reforms in recent years, including:
  • In DB2008: Eased the process by making obtaining an operating license faster and removing the requirement for approval from the ministry.
  • In DB2013: Allowed entrepreneurs to apply for tax registration at the time of incorporation.
• No significant reforms were recorded in DB2009, DB2010, DB2011, and DB2012.
• The distance to frontier measure indicates how far Lao PDR is from the best practices in each indicator, showing both strengths and weaknesses in different areas.

Comparative Insights

• Lao PDR ranks below many comparator economies in most indicators.
• The regional average for the East Asia & Pacific region is generally better than Lao PDR's performance.
• Best performers globally, such as New Zealand, Singapore, and Iceland, have significantly fewer procedures, lower costs, and faster processing times.

Methodology Notes

• The indicators are based on the standardized company assumptions: a private limited liability company in Vientiane, with 10–50 employees, and general commercial or industrial activities.
• The report does not cover all aspects of the business environment, such as infrastructure quality, market access, or institutional strength.
• The "no practice" mark indicates that the economy has not implemented the procedure or that data are not available.
• The distance to frontier measure helps assess progress over time in regulatory reforms.

Conclusion

The Doing Business 2013 report highlights that Lao PDR has a challenging business environment compared to other economies. While some reforms have been implemented, particularly in starting a business and tax registration, the country still lags in areas such as getting credit, enforcing contracts, and resolving insolvency. The data suggest that there is significant room for improvement in reducing the number of procedures, time, and cost involved in business operations.