Burdens created by the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act, particularly on Americans living abroad, are so obviously unjust that they are now raising the ire of more than just those of us ideologically and philosophically opposed to large government. Writing for…
Notwithstanding the title of this post, perhaps nobody deserves blame. Sometimes, a good or service rises in price solely as a result of changes in supply and demand. And if the price of something climbs because of market forces, then it’s merely a reflection of…
Hopefully we’re all disgusted when insiders rig the system to rip off taxpayers. And I suspect you’re not surprised to know that the worst examples come from California, which is in a race with Illinois to see which state can become the Greece of America. Well, the…
I’ve written and pontificated about the problem of government-created dependency and how the welfare state traps people in poverty. I also shared this dramatic chart showing how redistribution programs create shockingly high implicit marginal tax rates for those with…
The Transaction Account Guarantee Program (TAG) is set to expire at the end of the year. In the midst of the financial crisis, TAG extended bank deposit guarantees for checking accounts above the normal FDIC $250,000 limit, making them unlimited. The program was…
It’s never a good idea to display weakness during negotiations. Your opponent will sense your fear and up his demands. That’s certainly what we’re seeing in Washington. The cartoon at this link captures the GOP’s wobbly attitude on taxes, and this interview is about…
I’ve been very critical of Obama’s class-warfare ideology because it leads to bad fiscal policy. But perhaps it is time to give some attention to other arguments against high tax rates. Robert Samuelson, a columnist for the Washington Post, has a very important…
I’ve been arguing against higher taxes because of my concerns that more revenue will simply lead to a bigger burden of government spending. Yes, I realize it is theoretically possible that a tax hike could be part of a political deal that produces a good outcome, such…
The chief executive of Hong Kong’s Securities and Futures Commission is warning against allowing US and European fiscal imperialism in Asia. The boss of Hong Kong’s financial watchdog has called for the authorities to take a greater role in global regulatory…
The politicians claim that they are negotiating about how best to reduce the deficit. That irks me because our fiscal problem is excessive government spending. Red ink is merely a symptom of that underlying problem. But that’s a rhetorical gripe. My bigger concern is…