by Dan Mitchell | Apr 6, 2016 | Big Government, Blogs, Economics, Flat Tax, Government Spending, Tax Competition, Taxation
There’s no agreement on the most important variable for state tax competitiveness. You could make a strong case that it is the overall share of income taken by politicians in the state. Or you could argue that the tax system for employers is the key metric. And the...
by Dan Mitchell | Mar 31, 2016 | Blogs, Economics, States, Taxation
Even though it’s theoretically possible to design a desirable budget deal that includes a tax increase, I’m a big advocate of the no-tax-hike pledge for the simple reason that – in the real world – support for genuine spending restraint and real entitlement reform...
by Dan Mitchell | Mar 29, 2016 | Blogs, Tax Competition, Taxation
I’m never surprised when politicians make absurd statements, but I’m still capable of being shocked when other people make outlandish assertions. Like the leftist policy wonk who claimed that capitalism is actually coercion, even though free markets are based on...
by Dan Mitchell | Mar 9, 2016 | Big Government, Blogs, Economics, Europe
I wrote yesterday that many European nations are doomed to demographics and fiscal chaos, but a lot of people don’t care that much about the future. Bernie Sanders, for instance, looks at nations such as Denmark and Sweden today and says that America should copy their...
by Dan Mitchell | Feb 28, 2016 | Blogs, States, Tax Competition, Taxation
Long-run trends are an enormously important – yet greatly underappreciated – feature of public policy. Slight differences in growth can have enormous implications for a nation’s long-run prosperity. Gradual shifts in population trends may determine whether a nation...
