by Dan Mitchell | Apr 22, 2016 | Big Government, Blogs, Economics, Regulations
If you look at the methodology behind the major measures of economic liberty, such as Economic Freedom of the World and Index of Economic Freedom, you’ll notice that each nation’s regulatory burden is just as important as the overall fiscal burden. Yet there doesn’t...
by Dan Mitchell | Apr 11, 2016 | Blogs, Economics, Free Market
I don’t care whether it’s called socialism, fascism, or communism, statism is evil and destructive. And going partway down that path with “democratic socialism” may avoid brutality, but the end result is still economic misery. In hopes of getting this point across, I...
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...
