by Dan Mitchell | Sep 14, 2015 | Big Government, Blogs, Government Spending, Taxation
Is “supply-side economics” a bad thing or good thing? It depends on what one means by the phrase. If it means that all tax cuts are self financing or that low tax burdens are the sole key to prosperity, then critics are right about it being a form of “voodoo...
by Dan Mitchell | Sep 10, 2015 | Blogs, Education, Taxation
In my 2012 primer on fundamental tax reform, I highlighted the three biggest warts in the current system. 1. High tax rates that penalize productive behavior such as work and entrepreneurship. 2. Pervasive double taxation that undermines saving and investment. 3....
by Dan Mitchell | Sep 8, 2015 | Big Government, Blogs, Europe, Government Spending, Welfare and Entitlements
Back in 2013, my colleagues at the Cato Institute, Michael Tanner and Charles Hughes, released a study looking at the value of welfare programs in various states. The most shocking finding was that the overall package of welfare benefits was greater than the median...
by Dan Mitchell | Sep 7, 2015 | Blogs, Economics, States, Tax Competition, Taxation
Here’s a quiz for readers. When politicians increase taxes, the result is: a) More spending? b) More red ink? c) Fewer jobs? d) Out-migration of productive taxpayers? e) Reduced competitiveness? f) Less investment? g) A bigger underground economy? h) More corruption?...
by Dan Mitchell | Sep 2, 2015 | Big Government, Blogs, Economics, Taxation
There’s a famous quote attributed to George Washington. Government is not reason, it is not eloquence — it is force. Like fire it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master; never for a moment should it be left to irresponsible action. But it’s apparently an urban...
