by Dan Mitchell | Jan 17, 2016 | Big Government, Blogs, Taxation, VAT, Welfare and Entitlements
My views on the value-added tax are very simple and straightforward. If we completely eliminated all income-based taxes, I would be willing to accept a VAT (or even a national sales tax) as a revenue source for government. But unless that happens, I’m unalterably...
by Dan Mitchell | Jan 1, 2016 | Big Government, Blogs, Government Spending, Health Care, Taxation, VAT
What were the most noteworthy events from 2015? Regarding bad news, there’s unfortunately a lot of competition. But if I’m forced to pick the very worst developments, here’s my list. Resuscitation of the Export-Import Bank – I did a premature victory dance last year...
by Dan Mitchell | Dec 22, 2015 | Big Government, Blogs, Welfare and Entitlements
Because of the budgetary implications, I think it’s more important to deal with Medicaid and Medicare than it is to address Social Security. If left on autopilot, Social Security will eventually consume an additional 2 percent of the private economy. That’s not good...
by Dan Mitchell | Nov 5, 2015 | Big Government, Blogs, Government Spending, Government Waste
Yesterday, I shared several stories that exposed the festering corruption of Washington. Today, let’s look at one issue that symbolizes the pervasive waste of Washington. Medicare is the federal government’s one-size-fits-all health program for the elderly. Because of...
by Dan Mitchell | Nov 3, 2015 | Big Government, Blogs, Taxation, VAT
Some honest statists understand and acknowledge that you can’t have bigger government unless you target middle-income taxpayers. The New York Times endorsed higher taxes on the middle class in 2010. The then-House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer also gave a green light...
