One of my favorite Cato Institute publications is the Fiscal Policy Report Card on America’s Governors, which is produced by my colleague Chris Edwards. The report card uses variables such as the burden of government spending and the degree of class warfare tax policy…
Daily Analysis
It’s Wrong for Federal Tax Deductions to Encourage Bad Fiscal Policy by State and Local Governments
I have a handful of simple rules for good tax policy. Keep government small, since it’s impossible to have a reasonable tax system with a bloated welfare state. Keep tax rates low to minimize penalties against income, production, and wealth creation. Since capital…
The Other Problem of Dependence
A lot has been said about the growing dependence of American citizens on the federal government, including in this great CF&P Economics 101 video narrated by Emily O’Neill. But there’s another kind of growing dependence about which we need to be…
North Carolina’s Attempted Censorship Shows How State Governments also Are a Threat to Liberty
I spend much of my time focusing on the dangers of a bloated federal government. And if you’ve ever paid attention to the name of this blog, you know I have a special interest in monitoring the ill-advised actions of foreign governments. But that doesn’t mean I have a…
California’s Train to Nowhere
I’ve explained before that “high-speed rail” is a boondoggle, and I’ve also posted a thorough presentation on the topic from the folks at Reason about this issue. But some politicians can’t resist throwing good money after bad on these money-losing schemes. The latest…
Illinois Leftist Does a Facepalm, Confirming that Higher Taxes Enable Higher Spending While Trying to Make the Opposite Point
Two days ago, I explained that tax increases are bad policy. More specifically, I warned that giving more money to government exacerbates fiscal problems because politicians respond to the expectation of more revenue by spending more than otherwise would be the case….
Illinois Politicians Meet the Challenge in the U.S. vs. U.K. Government Stupidity Contest
When I read the story from England about needing photo ID to buy teaspoons, I thought British bureaucrats built an insurmountable lead in the U.S. vs. U.K. contest for stupidest government action. But I should have had more faith in the hare-brained politicians of…
Bringing Science to Government
Accusing a political opponent of being anti-science has become a standard tactic of both parties in recent years. These accusations are usually dishonest, as what the accuser typically means is that the accused is not properly weighing the costs and benefits of…
D.C. Needs to Junk Jock Tax Plan
The Washington Times recently reported that the D.C. Council’s plan to introduce a “jock tax” will need an unlikely vote from Capitol Hill to succeed. Hopefully for D.C. sports fans the proposal will fail. What is a “jock tax,” you might ask? It is an income tax…
Amazon Abandoning Greedy States with Online Retail Taxes
In continued news of people responding to tax competition, online retail giant Amazon.com Inc. has announced it is scrapping deals in Arkansas and Connecticut due to new legislation requiring new online retail taxes. As the Wall Street Journal reported: Amazon.com…