by Dan Mitchell | Dec 21, 2012 | Big Government, Blogs, Europe, Government Spending, Taxation
There aren’t many fiscal policy role models in Europe. Switzerland surely is at the top of the list. The burden of government spending is modest by European standards, in part because of a very good spending cap that prevents politicians from overspending when...
by Dan Mitchell | Dec 18, 2012 | Blogs, Economics, Government Spending, Taxation
One of the key ways of controlling state and local tax burdens, according to this map from the Tax Foundation, is to not have an income tax. But that’s not too surprising. States have just a couple of ways of generating significant tax revenue, so it stands to reason...
by Dan Mitchell | Dec 10, 2012 | Big Government, Blogs, Economics, Government Spending, Taxation
It’s never a good idea to display weakness during negotiations. Your opponent will sense your fear and up his demands. That’s certainly what we’re seeing in Washington. The cartoon at this link captures the GOP’s wobbly attitude on taxes, and this interview is about...
by Dan Mitchell | Dec 9, 2012 | Blogs, Economics, Taxation
I’ve been very critical of Obama’s class-warfare ideology because it leads to bad fiscal policy. But perhaps it is time to give some attention to other arguments against high tax rates. Robert Samuelson, a columnist for the Washington Post, has a very important...
by Dan Mitchell | Dec 8, 2012 | Blogs, Economics, Flat Tax, Taxation
I’ve been arguing against higher taxes because of my concerns that more revenue will simply lead to a bigger burden of government spending. Yes, I realize it is theoretically possible that a tax hike could be part of a political deal that produces a good outcome, such...
