The two main political parties are sniping at each other about the just-concluded tax deal, largely because Republicans are happy and Democrats are displeased that all of the 2001/2003 tax cuts are being extended for all taxpayers. Almost nobody is paying attention to…
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.
High Taxes Encourage Crime
We all know that alcohol prohibition was great news for organized crime in the 1920s, and we also know that drug prohibition is causing widespread societal destruction today, but taxation also can facilitate criminal behavior. Specifically, there is considerable…
Let’s Be Thankful Terrorists Are Even Less Competent than the TSA
We all grumble that going to the airport now means long lines and invasions of privacy, but we hope that at least we’re getting safety in exchange for all the hassle. But based on results of random tests, the only thing we can really conclude is that terrorists must…
Should the Clowns at the United Nations Be Given Power to Regulate the Internet?!?
Some ideas are so horrible that I’m almost at a loss for words. The United Nations is a grotesquely wasteful and corrupt international bureaucracy with a long track record of failure and incompetence. Yet some people think this collection of looters, moochers, and…
Taxpayers Got a Big Christmas Present Yesterday, but It Wasn’t the Tax Bill
There’s a lot of attention being paid to yesterday’s landslide vote in the House to prevent a big tax increase next year. If you’re a glass-half-full optimist, you will be celebrating the good news for taxpayers. If you’re a glass-half empty pessimist, you will be…
Beating the You-Know-What Out of Congress in the New York Post
I have a piece in this morning’s New York Post, and I did not try to be polite. Commenting on the end-of-year orgy on Capitol Hill, I slam corrupt deal making that leads to ever-bigger government. Here’s part of what I say about the “omnibus” spending bill. The weeks…
America’s Number One! America’s Number One!…Oops, Never Mind
Sometimes it’s not a good idea to be at the top of a list. And now that Japan has announced a five-percentage point reduction in its corporate tax rate, the United States will have the dubious honor of imposing the developed world’s highest corporate tax rate. Here’s…
Yes, Virginia, Obamacare is Unconstitutional
This is just an early skirmish in a battle that will go all the way to the Supreme Court, but it’s good to see that a federal judge has declared that the individual mandate in Obamacare is unconstitutional. Who knows what the Supreme Court eventually will decide, but…
Another Great VAT Cartoon
I’ve already posted two other cartoons on this issue (here and here), but can’t resist posting another. As with much humor, this cartoon cleverly captures the underlying reality. In this case, the politicians want a value-added tax so we pay more to finance their…
Excellent Polling Data on Spending Restraint vs. Deficit Reduction
When big-spending politicians in Washington pontificate about “deficit reduction,” taxpayers should be very wary. Crocodile tears about red ink almost always are a tactic that the political class uses to make tax increases more palatable. The way it works is that the…