If you’re a regular reader, you already know I’m a big supporter of tax competition and tax havens. Here’s the premise: Politicians almost always are focused on their next election and this encourages them to pursue policies that are designed to maximize votes and…
Daily Analysis
Should Companies Do What’s Best for Government, or Should They Do What’s Best for Workers, Consumers, and Shareholders?
I’m in favor of free markets. That means I’m sometimes on the same side as big business, but it also means that I’m often very critical of big business. That’s because large companies are largely amoral. Depending on the issue, they may be on the side of the angels,…
Tax Day Fantasies
I realize this may be a thought crime by DC standards, but it sure would be nice to eliminate the high tax rates that undermine economic growth and reduce American competitiveness. At the risk of sharing too much information, I fantasize about a world without…
Agreeing with Leftists (Sort of) about the World’s Sixth-Largest “Tax Haven”
To put it mildly, I’m not a fan of the so-called Tax Justice Network. In a moment of typical understatement, I referred to the U.K.-based group as “…a bunch of crazy Euro-socialists.” And to give you an idea of why I don’t like them, here’s some of what I wrote about…
From France to New Jersey, High Tax Rates and Class Warfare Are Economic Poison
Back in the 1980s and 1990s, there was a widespread consensus that high tax rates were economically misguided. Many Democrats, for instance, supported the 1986 Tax Reform Act that lowered the top tax rate from 50 percent to 28 percent (albeit offset by increased…
Message from the Political Class: All Your Money Belongs to Us
What’s the defining characteristic of our political masters? Going all the way back to when they ran for student council in 6th grade, is it a craven desire to say or do anything to get elected? Is it the corrupt compulsion to trade earmarks, loopholes, and favors in…
Hungary Rejects OECD Call To Hike Taxes
The Bureaucrats at the OECD don’t pay any taxes on their own salaries, but they work very hard to make sure everyone else is hit with exorbitant rates. They’ve persistently fought against tax competition to make it easier for politicians to raise taxes…
In the OECD’s Fantasy World, Higher Business Taxes and more Government Spending Are Good for Growth
Over the years, I’ve shared some ridiculous arguments from our leftist friends. Paul Krugman, for instance, actually wrote that “scare stories” about government-run healthcare in the United Kingdom “are false.” Which means I get to recycle that absurd quote every time…
OECD Appeasement is a Losing Strategy
Writing for Hong Kong’s Harbour Times, CF&P President Andrew Quinlan and I recently coauthored a piece explaining why appeasing the radical demands of the OECD is a losing strategy. Simply put, the global tax collectors will not be satisfied with anything…
New York City Is About to Become New France
We know that countries suffer when taxes get too high, in part because investors, entrepreneurs, and other successful taxpayers escape to jurisdiction with less oppressive fiscal regimes. France is a glaring example. On steroids. We know that states also suffer when…