There’s lot of criticism of the IRS and the tax code on the Internet. Indeed, I like to think I contribute my fair share. But I’m surprised at (what I consider to be be) the limited amount of humor on those topics. As I look through my archives, I can find only a few…
Daily Analysis
A Lower Corporate Rate Is a Practical And Good Response to Inversions
It boggles the mind to think that the United States now has the highest corporate tax rate in the industrialized world. But it’s even more amazing that America arguably has the most punitive corporate tax rate in the entire world. Here’s some of what I wrote on the…
An Italian Doctor Joins the Bureaucrat Hall of Fame
In April of 2013, I introduced a Moocher Hall of Fame to “celebrate” some very odious examples of welfare dependency. Since that time, I keep thinking that it’s time to do something similar for government bureaucrats. This compilation from last December would be a…
Lower Tax Rates vs. Targeted Tax Credits, Part II
I wrote a column for the Wall Street Journal last week about the policy debate over whether it’s better to lower tax rates or to provide targeted tax cuts for parents. Since this meant I was wading into a fight between so-called reform conservatives (or “reformicons”)…
Inversion Controversy Is about Whether Company Profits Should Flow to Shareholders or Government
Since I’ve been in Washington for nearly three decades, I’m used to foolish demagoguery. But the left’s reaction to corporate inversions takes political rhetoric to a new level of dishonesty. Every study that looks at business taxation reaches the same conclusion,…
Debunking the Sloppy and Inaccurate Economic Argument for Export Subsidies
The Export-Import Bank is noxiously corrupt example of crony capitalism. It never should have been created. But that’s something we could say about most government programs. So the real question is how to reverse the damage. If we reform a big program such as…
It Doesn’t Seem Possible, but France Is Going from Bad to Worse
Remember when Paul Krugman warned that there was a plot against France? He asserted that critics wanted to undermine the great success of France’s social model. I agreed with Krugman, at least in the limited sense that there is a plot against France. But I explained…
Europe’s Problem Is Excessive Spending, not Austerity
It’s remarkable to read that European politicians are agitating to spend more money, supposedly to make up for “spending cuts” and austerity. To put it mildly, their Keynesian-based arguments reflect a reality-optional understanding of recent fiscal policy on the…
Australia’s Worrisome Fiscal Drift
I’m in Australia for Consilium, an annual conference which is hosted by the Centre for Independent Studies. I spoke on fiscal policy and pontificated on the need for nations to restrain government spending. That’s an important message (at least in my humble option),…
The Federal Bagpipe Police?!?
I’ve shared horror stories about government thuggery and I’ve shared horror stories about government stupidity. Thanks to Mark Steyn, we have a story that exemplifies both the brain-dead nature of the public sector and the nasty nature of our bureaucratic…