Washington is filled with debate and discussion about the economic burden of the federal income tax, which collected $1.13 trillion in FY2012 ($1.37 trillion if you include the corporate income tax). Yet politicians rarely consider the economic impact of payroll…
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.
What Was the Most Tragic Policy Development of 2012?
I’m not sure I could pick out a significant victory for human freedom in 2012. Maybe I’m missing something, but the only good policy that’s even worth mentioning was the decision in Wisconsin to rein in the special privileges and excessive compensation for government…
Class Warfare Tax Policy Causes Portugal to Crash on the Laffer Curve, but Will Obama Learn from this Mistake?
Back in mid-2010, I wrote that Portugal was going to exacerbate its fiscal problems by raising taxes. Needless to say, I was right. Not that this required any special insight. After all, no nation has ever taxed its way to prosperity. We’re now at the end of 2012 and…
Once Obama’s Policies Are Implemented Next Year, U.S. Capital Gains Tax Rate Will be 70 percent Higher than Global Average
Back in September, I shared a very good primer on the capital gains tax from the folks at the Wall Street Journal, which explained why this form of double taxation is so destructive. I also posted some very good analysis from John Goodman about the issue….
Obama’s Deadly Plan for the Death Tax
In some ways, it would be fun to be a leftist. No, I’m not talking about living a life of idleness and letting others pay my bills, though I suppose that’s tempting to some people. And I’m not talking about becoming a Washington insider and using corrupt connections…
Regarding the Fiscal Cliff and Obama’s Class-Warfare Tax Hikes, Let’s Laugh Before We Cry
By the time you read this post, it’s possible that the buffoons in Washington will have announced a deal on the fiscal cliff. Or perhaps we’ll have another month or more of fake drama. Regardless of when the deal is announced, I fear the final result will be some sort…
The Continuing Exodus of Jobs – and Taxable Income – from California
Like most people, I’m a sucker for a heartwarming story around the holidays. Sometimes, you get that nice feeling when good things happen to good people, like you find at the end of a classic movie like “It’s a Wonderful Life.” But since I’m a bit of a curmudgeon, I…
While Much of America Suffers with Stagnation, Washington’s Political Class Is Having a Very Merry Christmas
In large part because of an excessive burden of government, the American economy is suffering European-style stagnation, with even the Washington Post now confessing that growth far below the long-run trend. This helps explain why job creation has been so dismal in…
How the Welfare State Traps the Poor in Dependency, the British Version
Back in 2011, I linked to a simple chart that illustrated how handouts and subsidies create very high implicit marginal tax rates for low-income people and explained how “generosity” from the government leads to a tar-paper effect that limits upward mobility. Earlier…
What’s the Best Response When Crony Capitalists From Big Business Endorse Higher Taxes on Their Small Business Competitors?
I’m a big fan of lower corporate tax rates. I also want to eliminate worldwide taxation so American companies can be on a level playing field when competing for market share around the world. And I want to get rid of the double taxation of dividends and capital gains…