by Dan Mitchell | Mar 26, 2014 | Blogs, Tax Competition, Taxation
Back in the 1980s and 1990s, there was a widespread consensus that high tax rates were economically misguided. Many Democrats, for instance, supported the 1986 Tax Reform Act that lowered the top tax rate from 50 percent to 28 percent (albeit offset by increased...
by Dan Mitchell | Mar 24, 2014 | Big Government, Blogs, Economics, Government Spending
Last month, I shared a very interesting video from Canada’s Fraser Institute that explored the link between economic performance and the burden of government spending. There’s now an article in the American Enterprise Institute’s online magazine about this research....
by Dan Mitchell | Mar 21, 2014 | Big Government, Blogs, Economics, Welfare and Entitlements
Back in 2010, I shared a video that predicted a catastrophic end to the welfare state. I said it was an example of “Libertarian Porn” because: …it is designed for the dark enjoyment of people who think the government is destroying the nation. If you don’t like bloated...
by Dan Mitchell | Mar 20, 2014 | Blogs, Economics, Flat Tax, Taxation
I generally get very suspicious when rich people start pontificating on tax policy. People like Warren Buffett, for instance, sometimes advocate higher taxes because they’re trying to curry favor with the political elite. Or maybe they feel compelled to say silly...
by Dan Mitchell | Mar 15, 2014 | Big Government, Blogs, Economics
The headline of this post might not be completely honest. Indeed, if you asked me to grade the accuracy of my title, I’ll admit right away that it falls into the “if you like your plan, you can keep your plan” category of mendacity. But I’m only prevaricating to set...