by Dan Mitchell | Dec 10, 2012 | Big Government, Blogs, Economics, Government Spending, Taxation
It’s never a good idea to display weakness during negotiations. Your opponent will sense your fear and up his demands. That’s certainly what we’re seeing in Washington. The cartoon at this link captures the GOP’s wobbly attitude on taxes, and this interview is about...
by Dan Mitchell | Dec 9, 2012 | Blogs, Economics, Taxation
I’ve been very critical of Obama’s class-warfare ideology because it leads to bad fiscal policy. But perhaps it is time to give some attention to other arguments against high tax rates. Robert Samuelson, a columnist for the Washington Post, has a very important...
by Dan Mitchell | Dec 8, 2012 | Blogs, Economics, Flat Tax, Taxation
I’ve been arguing against higher taxes because of my concerns that more revenue will simply lead to a bigger burden of government spending. Yes, I realize it is theoretically possible that a tax hike could be part of a political deal that produces a good outcome, such...
by Dan Mitchell | Dec 6, 2012 | Big Government, Blogs, Economics, Taxation
The politicians claim that they are negotiating about how best to reduce the deficit. That irks me because our fiscal problem is excessive government spending. Red ink is merely a symptom of that underlying problem. But that’s a rhetorical gripe. My bigger concern is...
by Dan Mitchell | Dec 3, 2012 | Blogs, Economics, Taxation
Earlier this year, I explained that tax revenues would soon climb above their long-run average of 18 percent of GDP, even if the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts were made permanent. In other words, the nation’s fiscal challenge is entirely the result of a rising burden of...
