I’m not a big fan of the European Commission. For those not familiar with this entity, it’s sort of the European version of the executive-branch bureaucracy we have in Washington. And like their counterparts in Washington, the Brussels-based bureaucracy enjoys a very lavish lifestyle while pushing for more government and engaging in bizarre forms of political correctness.
But just as a stopped clock is right twice a day, it appears that the European Commission is right once every century. Or perhaps once every millennium would be more accurate. Regardless, here are parts of a story I never thought would appear in my lifetime.
Olli Rehn: “Taxes shouldn’t be any higher than this”
According to the UK-based Independent, the European Commission – or at least one European Commissioner – now realizes that there’s such a thing as too much tax.
Tax increases imposed by the Socialist-led government in France have reached a “fatal level”, the European Union’s commissioner for economic affairs said today. Olli Rehn warned that a series of tax hikes since the Socialists took power 14 months ago – including €33bn in new taxes this year – threatens to “destroy growth and handicap the creation of jobs”.
Wow, that sounds like something I might have said.
But even though I endorsed him, Hollande has ignored my advice.
President Hollande has kept his electoral promise to attack French deficits and accumulated debt. He has done so, however, almost entirely by tax increases rather than by cuts in a state apparatus which swallows 56.6 per cent of the country’s GDP.
It’s worth noting, by the way, that tax hikes haven’t worked. Deficits today are still far higher than they were before the financial crisis. Yet the crazy French are not slowing down.
it has emerged that final budget plans for 2014 will include at least €6bn in tax rises. This figure does not include the impact of a programmed rise in the basic rate of VAT from 19.6 per cent to 20 per cent from January next year. …Mr Hollande’s 75 per cent “temporary” tax on incomes over €1m – also blocked by constitutional objections – may also finally take effect in 2014.
Geesh, no wonder even European bureaucrats are saying enough is enough.
Just like the IMF said that Greece had reached the tipping point where taxes were too high.
Just like the United Nations acknowledged the Laffer-Curve insight that taxes can be too high.
Just like the OECD admitted that better tax policy leads to more taxable income.
Just like the European Central Bank found big Laffer-Curve responses to changes in tax policy.
Hmmm…, makes you begin to think there’s a pattern and that people finally understand the Laffer Curve. Though let’s not get too optimistic since this common-sense observation about tax rates, taxable income, and tax revenue has not had any impact on the pro-tax bureaucrats at the Joint Committee on Taxation in Washington. But that’s a separate story.
I feel guilty about writing something favorable about the European Commission, so I want to close with some information showing that this bureaucracy is on the wrong side more than 99 percent of the time. Which should surprise anyone since it is headed by a former Maoist (who is eminently forgettable – other than the fact that he is unintentionally engaged in a contest to see who can be the most laughable European bureaucrat).
Let’s look at some highlights from the past few years.
- European Commission bureaucrats lash out at credit rating companies for warning that governments may not be able to pay their bills.
- European Commission bureaucrats squander millions of dollars on empty political correctness as they publish calendars that omit Christmas.
- European Commission bureaucrats pissed away millions of dollars to create a green-skinned “Mr. Fruitness” superhero.
- European Commission bureaucrats wasted money on comic books portraying themselves as super heroes.
But let’s set aside their perks and boondoggles and instead look at the bad policies generated by this army of paper pushers.
- The European Commission pushes for tax harmonization because it is “unfair” for some nations to have lower taxes.
- The European Commission advocates gender quotas at private businesses.
- The European Commission is hostile to entrepreneurship and supports ever-higher levels of regulation and red tape.
- The European Commission supports higher taxes as a “solution” to overspending by national governments.
- The European Commission has decided that taxpayer-funded vacations are a human right.
- The European Commission finances killing ducks at the absurd price of $750 each.
In other words, the crowd in Brussels is just as wasteful as the folks in Washington. And just as profligate as the people in Paris. And just as reckless as the group in London. And…well, you get the idea.
P.S. While the purpose of this post is to congratulate the European Commission on a rare bit of sanity, it’s worth noting that there’s another bureaucracy in Brussels called the European Parliament. I don’t think they’ve ever displayed any evidence of sanity. But since it doesn’t have much power, it also has little opportunity to do really stupid things. That being said, they enjoy a level of pampering that must make American lawmakers green with envy.
