by Dan Mitchell | Jan 30, 2026 | Blogs, Economics, Taxation
The death tax presumably is the most destructive tax on a per-dollar-collected basis, but I suspect the capital gains tax is in second place. Like the death tax, the capital gains tax is pure double taxation, thus exacerbating the tax...
by Dan Mitchell | Jan 29, 2026 | Blogs, Economics, Laffer Curve, Taxation
Unless you’re a policy wonk, I realize “exciting” may not be the right word to describe new developments in public-finance economics. For nerds, however, three economists at the Joint Committee on Taxation have some important new research on the Laffer...
by Dan Mitchell | Jan 28, 2026 | Blogs, Economics, Taxation, Welfare and Entitlements
Every year or so, I share data showing that a European-sized welfare state requires massive tax increases on lower-income and middle-class household. Let’s add another to the list. Here’s a chart comparing tax burdens on middle-class Americans and middle-class people...
by Dan Mitchell | Jan 26, 2026 | Big Government, Blogs
As an economist, I dislike protectionism because it makes the economy less efficient and reduces prosperity. As a citizen, I dislike protectionism because it enriches D.C. insiders such as lobbyists. But Trump’s trade taxes are just...
by Dan Mitchell | Jan 25, 2026 | Blogs, Economic Growth, Europe
About five years ago, I fretted about the gradual erosion of economic liberty in Western Europe. And I followed up two years ago with similar analysis, grousing that the entire western world was joining Western Europe in the drift toward more...
