I’m a big advocate of the Laffer Curve. Simply stated, it’s absurdly inaccurate to think that taxpayers and the economy are insensitive to changes in tax policy. Yet bureaucracies such as the Joint Committee on Taxation basically assume that the economy will be…
Daily Analysis
Embarrassment Alert: America’s Tax System Ranks Below Italy, Greece, and Mexico
I’ve complained over and over again that America’s tax code is a nightmare that undermines competitiveness and retards growth. Our aggregate fiscal burden may not be as high as it is for many of our foreign competitors, but high tax rates and poor design mean the…
Can Greece Be Rescued?
I’m a pessimist about public policy for two simple reasons: 1) Seeking power and votes, elected officials generally can’t resist making short-sighted and politically motivated choices that expand the burden of government. 2) Voters are susceptible to bribery,…
What’s the Best Tax Haven for American Citizens?
Since I spend considerable time defending tax competition, fiscal sovereignty, and financial privacy, people sometimes think I can give competent advice on how best to protect one’s income from the IRS. Hardly. Like most people in Washington, I’m all theory and no…
CF&P Supports Renewal of Internet Tax Moratorium
The Center for Freedom & Prosperity has joined a coalition of state and national organizations in calling on Washington to pass a permanent extension of the Internet Tax Moratorium. Signed by over 40 organization’s, the coalition letter urges Congress to…
The Punitive Economic Cost of Class-Warfare Taxation
I’ve already shared a bunch of data and evidence on the importance of low tax rates. A review of the academic evidence by the Tax Foundation found overwhelming support for the notion that lower tax rates are good for growth. An economist from Cornell found lower tax…
Laughing about Corporate Inversions
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…
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…
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,…