by Dan Mitchell | Oct 3, 2016 | Big Government, Blogs, Economics, Government Spending, Taxation
If nothing else, Belgian politicians deserve credit for perseverance. One year ago, the nation was considering a “tax shift” that would reduce taxes on labor and increase taxes on consumption. I pointed out that this didn’t make much sense since it wouldn’t alter the...
by Dan Mitchell | Sep 29, 2016 | Blogs, Economics, Taxation, VAT
I’m not the biggest fan of Paul Krugman in his role as a doctrinaire advocate of leftist policy (he used to be within the mainstream and occasionally point out the risks of government intervention in his former role as an academic economist). It’s not just that he...
by Dan Mitchell | Sep 18, 2016 | Big Government, Blogs, Europe
When I tell journalists and politicians that the European fiscal situation is worse today than it was immediately prior to the crisis, they don’t believe me. What about all the spending cuts, they ask? What about the draconian austerity? And the Troika-imposed fiscal...
by Dan Mitchell | Sep 5, 2016 | Blogs, States
Proponents of liberty generally are big fans of federalism. In part, this is simply an issue of “good governance” since both voters and lawmakers at the state and local level are more likely to actually understand the real issues in communities and be able to develop...
by Dan Mitchell | Aug 26, 2016 | Blogs, Europe, Tax Competition, Tax Harmonization, Taxation
I have a love-hate relationship with corporations. On the plus side, I admire corporations that efficiently and effectively compete by producing valuable goods and services for consumers, and I aggressively defend those firms from politicians who want to impose...