by Dan Mitchell | Jan 30, 2024 | Blogs, Taxation, VAT
I wrote 10 days ago about why a value-added tax would be a mistake for the United States. To help reinforce that argument, here’s a new map from the Tax Foundation showing VAT rates on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. With a few exceptions...
by Dan Mitchell | Dec 7, 2023 | Big Government, Blogs, Europe, Government Spending
Back in April, I warned that European governments were spending too much, sewing the seeds of another fiscal crisis (aided and abetted by the European Commission). Let’s expand on that issue today, focusing specifically on the eurozone (the European nations that use...
by Dan Mitchell | Nov 24, 2023 | Big Government, Blogs, Europe
Last month, I shared data on per-capita welfare spending in American states. The big takeaway was that states such as New York and California were spending more tan twice as much as states such as Texas and Florida. And I concluded...
by Dan Mitchell | Nov 10, 2023 | Big Government, Blogs, Europe
In economics, convergence theory is the common-sense observation that poor countries – in general – should grow faster than rich countries. But a general principle sometimes has exceptions, and that’s why I put together my anti-convergence club. If you...
by Dan Mitchell | Aug 15, 2023 | Big Government, Blogs, Government Spending
I have repeatedly explained that spending restraint is good fiscal policy. And I have specifically explained that you achieve this goal by limiting spending so that it grows slower than the productive sector of the economy. A fringe...
