Two of my favorite things in life are the Laffer Curve and the Georgia Bulldogs. So you know I’m going to approve when an economics professor from the University of Georgia writes a column about the power of the Laffer Curve. And since I’m a libertarian and the…
Dan Mitchell
Daniel J. Mitchell is the President of the Center for Freedom and Prosperity and the Center for Freedom and Prosperity Foundation. Dr. Mitchell advocates limited government and fundamental tax reform, and is the nation’s leading opponent of tax harmonization schemes developed by the Brussels-based European Union, the Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), and the United Nations.
In addition to fiscal policy, Dr. Mitchell is a trenchant observer of economic developments and an expert on Social Security reform – particularly the fiscal policy impact of reform and what the US can learn from other nations that have created personal retirement accounts.
Discussing Europe’s Faux Austerity with John Stossel
I want a smaller burden of government spending, so you can only imagine how frustrating it is for me to observe the fight in Europe. On one side of the debate you have pro-spenders, who call themselves “growth” advocates, but are really just Keynesians. On the other…
Your Tax Dollars at Work: Medicare Financing Plastic Surgery
What’s the most absurd “health” expenditure by government? There are lots of potential responses, including $240 million for penis pumps. Or how about the fact that Obamacare allows taxpayer-subsidized viagra for sex offenders? But another potential answer is cosmetic…
CBO’s Tax Expenditure Report Uses Wrong Benchmark, Overstates Loopholes
As a long-time advocate of tax reform, I’m not a fan of distortionary loopholes in the tax code. Ideally, we would junk the 74,000-page internal revenue code and replace it with a simple and fair flat tax – meaning one low rate, no double taxation, and no favoritism.*…
Time to Say Something Nice about Obamacare
I’ve frequently argued that “third-party payer” is the main problem with the healthcare system. In simpler terms, this is the notion that a market won’t function very well if consumers think they’re spending someone else’s money. Why be a careful consumer, after all,…
Which States Are Most Drunk on Wine Taxes?
I shared some fascinating details the other day about how federal taxes inhibited the development of America’s beer industry. And I’ve used a story about buddies sharing beer to illustrate the dangers of redistribution and class warfare. But this blog hasn’t paid much…
Why the IRS Persecuted the Tea Party and How to Fix the Problem
Did President Obama and his team of Chicago cronies deliberately target the Tea Party in hopes of thwarting free speech and political participation? Was this part of a campaign to win the 2012 election by suppressing Republican votes? Perhaps, but I’ve warned that…
The Tax Foundation 1 – New York Times 0
Whether it’s American politicians trying to extort more taxes from Apple or international bureaucrats trying to boost the tax burden on firms with a global corporate tax return, the left is aggressively seeking to impose harsher fiscal burdens on the business…
Two Lessons from Calvin Coolidge
Last month, Amity Shlaes came to Cato to discuss her superb new book about Calvin Coolidge. I heard her discuss the book back in January while participating in Hillsdale College’s conference on the 100th anniversary of the income tax, but the book is so rich with…
Helping Workers…to the Unemployment Line
Several European nations are suffering from a fiscal crisis. But that’s just part of the story. They also have significantly lower incomes than the United States, with living standards about 30 percent-40 percent below American levels. And while many people are upset…