by Dan Mitchell | Nov 12, 2018 | Big Government, Blogs, Regulations
As a fiscal policy wonk, I’ve come across depressing examples of counterproductive tax provisions (health benefits exclusion, ethanol credits) and spending programs (the entire HUD budget, OECD subsidies). But the folks who work on regulatory policy may get exposed to...
by Dan Mitchell | Nov 4, 2018 | Blogs, Economics, Taxation
There are three reasons why the right kind of tax reform can help the economy grow faster. Lower tax rates give people more incentive to earn income. Less double taxation boosts incentives to save and invest. Fewer loopholes improves incentives for economic...
by Dan Mitchell | Oct 15, 2018 | Big Government, Blogs, Economics
Politicians can interfere with the laws of supply and demand (and they do, with distressing regularity), but they can’t repeal them. The minimum wage issue is a tragic example. If lawmakers pass a law mandating wages of $10 per hour, that is going to have a very bad...
by Dan Mitchell | Sep 20, 2018 | Blogs, Economics
Responding to Hurricane Harvey last year, I shared three very good videos explaining why laws against “price gouging” are misguided. Simply stated, politicians can’t wave a legislative wand and change underlying conditions of supply and demand. Laws that artificially...
by Dan Mitchell | Sep 14, 2018 | Big Government, Blogs
With Florence about to hit, it’s time to preemptively explain how the federal government makes damage more likely and why post-hurricane efforts will make future damage more likely. There are just two principles you need to understand. When Washington subsidizes...
