The seriousness of this country's
propensity to import is reflected by the fact that out of every N1 of new money created, about 68 kobo is spent on imports.
The signs on the terms in the denominator tell us that an increase in the marginal propensity to consume or invest will increase the multiplier while an increase in the marginal
propensity to import will decrease it.
'However, it should be emphasized that the current account position signals the country's higher
propensity to import as the country gears up for higher growth momentum.
Imports of intermediate goods have raised the marginal
propensity to import to 0.49 per dollar rise of GDR This value is significantly high and has to be taken into consideration despite the lack of a foreign exchange gap in the economy (explained by the country's accumulated foreign reserves).
Part of this may be down to a higher
propensity to import in Africa, but that can't possibly be the whole story.
Tax increases should be applied where there is a high
propensity to import so that a reduction in disposable income leads to a greater than proportionate reduction in imports.
Current account surpluses of oil producers including Saudi Arabia is the effect, not the cause, of oil price fluctuations, and their sizeable
propensity to import, hence recycle excess capital.
Mark Andrews, MENA Regional Director, Edexcel, said: "The rapid growth of the economy and the national
propensity to import skilled labour has created huge opportunities in the UAE for education and training providers; however, the lack of sufficient professional players is slowing down the growth of the industry.
Our
propensity to import is also brelow average, suggesting that we are not to any great extent specialising in those activities where we possess some form of competitive advantage.
Furthermore, the
propensity to import is heavily influenced by economic conditions.
Although "Wal-Mex" provides wages and benefits comparable or superior to its chain competitors, its automated pricing and inventory management have led to a net job loss in the retail sector, while its
propensity to import and its market power have stifled domestic entrepreneurship and production.
Although the current account incorporates more than trade in goods and services, our
propensity to import more goods than we export largely explains the current account deficit.