Since 2019, Togo has resolutely engaged in the decentralization process marked by communalization and elections of municipal councilors. Financial autonomy constitutes an essential lever for the free administration of municipalities, allowing them to ensure decision-making and the implementation of development projects. However, despite a legal and regulatory framework defining taxation specific to local authorities, Togolese municipalities are often perceived as needing more financial resources. This study aims to map the financing mechanisms for decentralization in Togo and analyze their contribution to municipal budgets. By adopting a quantitative approach combining documentary analysis and interviews with 188 experts and practitioners of local finance from various Togolese structures, four main financing mechanisms were identified: local, national, Community, and international. Among these mechanisms, own resources (in particular from the sale of products and services, fiscal and non-fiscal taxes) and state transfers via the Support Fund for Local Authorities emerge as the primary sources of financing for municipalities. However, the study reveals that several instruments of local mechanisms, although institutionally defined, still need to be updated in many municipalities, thus limiting their effectiveness in resource mobilization. These results highlight the importance of optimizing the management of local mechanisms to strengthen municipalities’ financial autonomy and support territories’ sustainable development.

The telecommunications sector is crucial in a country’s economy. The advancements in information and communication technology have had a significant impact on this sector, particularly in the electronic transactions domain. The utilization of electronic transactions in the telecommunications sector can yield substantial benefits, including increasing non-tax state revenue and economic development in Indonesia. The Covid-19 pandemic has served as a catalyst for the sharp rise in internet usage and telecommunications services, such as work-from-home, distance learning, online shopping or payments, industrial digitization, telemedicine, and others. Consequently, digital transformation has accelerated, necessitating the equitable distribution of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in Indonesia. The utilization of electronic transactions has directly contributed to the increase in state revenue from non-tax sector, particularly in the telecommunications sector. This can be observed through the continuous growth of non-tax revenue achieved by the Ministry of Communication and Informatics, surpassing the set targets each year in terms of realized value. The objective of this research is to analyze the effectiveness, challenges, and impacts of electronic transactions in increasing non-tax state revenue, in order to generate policy recommendations in Indonesia. This study uses a normative juridical method, analyzing positive legal provisions. Data sources were obtained from three types of legal materials, and data collection was conducted both online and offline. The research results indicate that the utilization of electronic transactions can increase non-tax state revenue in the telecommunications sector through various forms such as telecommunications bill payments, e-commerce transactions, sales of prepaid credit and data packages, telecommunications devices, digital services, content delivery, and transaction monitoring and oversight.

The use of public transport is one of the concepts of sustainable transport. However, people prefer to use private vehicles, which causes various problems, one of which is the high carbon emissions produced. This research aims to encourage programs to use passenger public transportation through a carbon tax. The method in this research is descriptive quantitative with primary data and secondary data. Secondary data was developed in the research by collecting literature study sources on the concept of sustainable transportation development as well as primary data carried out by analyzing calculations regarding the implementation of the carbon tax. There are several proposals that can significantly accelerate the achievement of goals, namely a collaborative approach through collaboration between local government agencies, a policy of progressively implementing a carbon tax as a coercive policy and supported by a program to provide supporting facilities for public transportation. Decision making in this research was carried out by looking at the percentage increase in public transportation use based on the application of a carbon tax or carbon tax.

This study analyzes the impact of a high-speed rail line on tax revenues and on the economy of affected regions within the country. The economic impact of infrastructure investment can be induced by changes in tax revenues when the infrastructure is in operation. Accurate regional GDP data are not necessarily available in many Asian countries. However, tax data can be collected. Therefore, this study uses tax revenue dates in order to estimate spillover effects of infrastructure investment. The Kyushu high-speed rail line was constructed in 1991 and was completed in 2003. In 2004, the rail line started operating from Kagoshima to Kumamoto. The entire line was opened in 2011. We estimated its impact in the Kyushu region of Japan by using the differencein- difference method, and compared the tax revenues of regions along the high-speed railway line with other regions that were not affected by the railway line. Our findings show a positive impact on the region’s tax revenue following the connection of the Kyushu rapid train with large cities, such as Osaka and Tokyo. Tax revenue in the region significantly increased during construction in 1991–2003, and dropped after the start of operations in 2004–2010. The rapid train’s impact on the neighboring prefectures of Kyushu is positive. However, in 2004–2013, its impact on tax revenue in places farther from the rapid train was observed to be lower. When the Kyushu railway line was connected to the existing high-speed railway line of Sanyo, the situation changed. The study finds statistically significant and economically growing impact on tax revenue after it was completed and connected to other large cities, such as Osaka and Tokyo. Tax revenues in the regions close to the high-speed train is higher than in adjacent regions. The difference-in-difference coefficient methods reveal that corporate tax revenue was lower than personal income tax revenue during construction. However, the difference in corporate tax revenues rose after connectivity with large cities was completed. Public–private partnership (PPP) has been promoted in many Asian countries. However, PPP-infrastructure in India failed in many cases due to the low rate of return from infrastructure investment. This study shows that an increase of tax revenues is significant in the case of the Kyushu rapid train in Japan. If half of the incremental tax revenues were returned to private investors in infrastructure, the rate of return from infrastructure investment would significantly rise for long period of time. It would attract stable and long-term private investors, such as pension funds and insurance funds into infrastructure investment. The last section of the paper will address how incremental tax revenues created by the spillover effects of infrastructure will improve the performance of private investors in infrastructure investment.