I’ve argued repeatedly that efforts like FATCA and the OECD’s Standard for Automatic Exchange of Financial Account Information in Tax Matters pose a substantial threat to financial and taxpayer privacy. In an excellent commentary at The Daily Signal today,…
Daily Analysis
Mocking the IRS with Reason TV
In some sense, there’s nothing remotely funny about the IRS’s targeting of Tea Party organizations. It is disgusting that a powerful arm of the government became a corrupt vehiclefor illegal partisan politics. But it’s better to laugh rather than cry, so let’s enjoy…
For State Policy Makers, the Simple (Anti) Tax Solution for Faster Growth
When people in other nations ask me for evidence in favor of low taxes, I often will ask them to compare the economic performance of a high-tax nation like France with the performance of a nation such as Switzerland with less onerous taxes. If I’m asked by Americans,…
Six Astounding Examples of Left-Wing Hypocrisy
A festival of statist hypocrisy
Immorality and the Redistributive State
Back in 2012, I shared a sadly amusing image about how the modern political process has degenerated into two wolves and a sheep voting what to have for lunch. I was making an argument in that column against majoritarianism (and that is a critical issue, as explained…
Is FATCA the Worst Part of the Internal Revenue Code?
The worst part of the tax code is something most Americans have likely never heard of.
Lies, Damned Lies, and the IRS
When I wrote recently that the IRS was corrupt, venal, and despicable, I didn’t realize that I was bending over backwards to be overly nice. Every new revelation in the scandal shows that the agency is beyond salvage. Writing for Real Clear Markets, Diana…
The Hidden Economic Damage of Obamacare
Obamacare resulted in big increases in the fiscal burden of government(ironically, it would be even worse if Obama hadn’t unilaterally suspended parts of the law). The legislation increased government spending, mostly for expanded Medicaidand big subsidies for private…
A 2016 Preview? Rand Paul vs Hillary Clinton on Taxes
I wrote a post several years ago contrasting a good initiative by Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky and a statist proposal by Senator Chuck Schumer of New York. There was no connection between the two ideas, but I thought the comparison helped show the difference between…
Good – and Very Bad – Developments in Global Tax Policy
With occasional exceptions such as Switzerland and Estonia, there’s rarely good news from Europe. At least with regards to fiscal policy. But maybe there’s a bit of sense on the Iberian Peninsula. I reported a couple of years ago that Portugal was at least flirting…