by Dan Mitchell | Apr 14, 2012 | Blogs, Capital Gains, Taxation
The silly debate about the “Buffett Rule” is really an argument about the extent to which there should be more double taxation of income that is saved and invested. Politicians conveniently forget that dividends and capital gains get hit by the corporate income tax....
by Dan Mitchell | Feb 14, 2012 | Blogs, Capital Gains, Economics, Taxation
As discussed yesterday, the most important number in Obama’s budget is that the burden of government spending will be at least $2 trillion higher in 10 years if the President’s plan is enacted. But there are also some very unsightly warts in the revenue portion of the...
by Dan Mitchell | Feb 1, 2012 | Blogs, Capital Gains, Economics, Taxation
Never let it be said I back down from a fight, even when it’s the other team’s game, played by the other team’s rules, and for the benefit of the wrong person. And that definitely went through my mind when U.S. News & World Report asked me to contribute to their...
by Dan Mitchell | Oct 25, 2011 | Blogs, Capital Gains, Taxation
Governor Rick Perry of Texas has announced a plan, which he outlines in today’s Wall Street Journal, to replace the corrupt and inefficient internal revenue code with a flat tax. Let’s review his proposal, using the principles of good tax policy as a benchmark. 1....
by Dan Mitchell | Sep 26, 2011 | Blogs, Capital Gains, Economics, Taxation
Whether I’m criticizing Warren Buffett’s innumeracy or explaining how to identify illegitimate loopholes, I frequently write about the perverse impact of double taxation. By this, I mean the tendency of politicians to impose multiple layers of taxation on income that...