The Case for Tax Reform, Part II

by Dan Mitchell | Feb 8, 2018 | Blogs, Economics, Taxation

I strongly applauded the tax reform plan that was enacted in December, especially the lower corporate tax rate and the limit on the deduction for state and local taxes. But I’m not satisfied. Our long-run goal should be fundamental tax reform. And that means replacing...

Sin Taxes and the Nanny State

by Dan Mitchell | Jan 18, 2018 | Big Government, Blogs, Taxation

Here are three things I’ve written about tax policy. See if you can detect a pattern: I’ve written that I don’t want a value-added tax because the money would be used to finance bigger government. I’ve also explained I don’t want a carbon tax because the revenue from...

Should We Give Politicians the Power to Swap Campaign Cash for Corrupt Earmarks?

by Dan Mitchell | Jan 11, 2018 | Big Government, Blogs, Government Spending

This is depressing. Republicans botched the repeal of Obamacare. They’ve already sold out (twice!) on the spending caps in the Budget Control Act, and they’re about to do it again. And now they want to bring back earmarks. In this interview with Neil Cavuto, I explain...

Restricting the Deduction for State and Local Taxes Is a Big [Expletive Deleted] Deal

by Dan Mitchell | Jan 2, 2018 | Blogs, Tax Competition, Taxation

During the Obamacare bill-signing ceremony, Vice President Biden had a “hot mic” incident when he was overheard telling Obama that “this is a big f***ing deal.” And he was telling the truth. It was a big deal (albeit a wrong deal) from a fiscal perspective and a...

The (Spending) Nightmare Before Christmas

by Dan Mitchell | Dec 24, 2017 | Big Government, Blogs, Government Spending

Yesterday’s column about “the tax nightmare before Christmas” was based on my fear that politicians will try to impose a value-added tax at some point in the not-too-distant future. Today’s column is about the spending nightmare that is already happening. The bottom...