Venezuela
2009 rank: #174
2008 rank: #175
2008 rank: #175
Venezuela has some of the strictest labor laws in the world: employers can't dismiss workers for economic reasons like declining sales, making hiring new staff a major commitment. Venezuela also recently introduced new corporate taxes, increasing both the cost of doing business and the administrative time required to comply with tax laws. The World Bank's researchers estimate that the typical business will need to make 70 tax payments annually, eating up 864 administrative hours each year.
NEXT: Eritrea
Source: All data comes from "Doing Business 2009," a publication of the World Bank and the International Finance Corporation. Detailed methodological information is available at www.doingbusiness.org.
LAST UPDATE: Sep 11 2008 | 1:19 PM ET
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