A Journalist’s First-Hand Report on the Corrupt Secrecy of an International Bureaucracy

by Dan Mitchell | Nov 25, 2012 | Blogs, Economics, Tax Harmonization, Taxation

As a taxpayer, I’m not a big fan of international bureaucracies. They consume a lot of money, pay themselves extravagant (and tax-free!) salaries, and generally promote statist policies. The Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development is a prime...

A Simple Lesson of Policy Diversity from “The Black Swan” Author: Don’t Put All Your Financial Eggs in One Regulatory Basket

by Dan Mitchell | Nov 24, 2012 | Blogs, Economics, Tax Competition, Taxation

Several months ago, I wrote a rather wonky post explaining that the western world became rich in large part because of jurisdictional competition. Citing historians, philosophers, economists, and other great thinkers, I explained that the rivalry made possible by...

Richard Epstein Discusses the Flat Tax

by Dan Mitchell | Nov 23, 2012 | Blogs, Economics, Flat Tax, Taxation

In addition to being my former debating partner, Richard Epstein is one of America’s premiere public intellectuals. You can watch him make mincemeat out of George Soros in this video, for instance, and you can listen to his astute observations about his former law...

Europe’s Slow-Motion Fiscal Suicide

by Dan Mitchell | Nov 22, 2012 | Big Government, Blogs, Economics, Government Spending, Taxation

I shared an astounding chart last month showing that tax increases account for 90 percent of the so-called “austerity” in Europe. The author of the chart, Veronique de Rugy of the Mercatus Center, calls this “private sector austerity” and she correctly argues that her...

Now that the Election Is Over, the Washington Post Admits that the Obama Recovery Has Been Terrible

by Dan Mitchell | Nov 19, 2012 | Big Government, Blogs, Economics, Government Spending, Taxation

I agree that Obama inherited a crappy economy, and I think it is silly to assert that he bears any responsibility for the severity of the 2007-2009 recession. But it is very fair to hold him responsible for what’s happened since the recession ended. I’ve cited data...