by Dan Mitchell | Jul 19, 2015 | Blogs, Crime, Society
I proposed an “IQ Test for Criminals and Liberals” back in 2012 which asked readers to imagine that they were thieves. And I then asked them, as they were planning their crimes, how they would react if they knew that a particular homeowner was armed. Would they: a....
by Dan Mitchell | Jun 5, 2015 | Blogs, Economics, States, Taxation
If you’re a libertarian or a small-government conservative, it’s quite likely you believe both these statements. Instead of picking winners and losers with special preferences and penalties, the tax code should be simple and fair, treating all economic activity...
by Dan Mitchell | May 23, 2015 | Blogs, States, Tax Competition, Taxation
Two years ago, I shared a map looking at how heavily wine was taxed in different states. What is showed was that you shouldn’t sip your Chardonnay or guzzle your Merlot in Kentucky. Unless, of course, you wanted to give politicians a lot more money to spend (or you...
by Dan Mitchell | Feb 11, 2015 | Blogs, Economics, Taxation
Last week, I shared a TV interview about Obama’s budget, but much of the discussion was routine and didn’t warrant special attention. But there was one small part of the interview, dealing with the silly claim that America became a rich nation because of socialism,...
by Dan Mitchell | Feb 5, 2015 | Blogs, Economics, Tax Competition, Taxation
I’m a relentless (probably to the point of being annoying) proponent of tax competition among jurisdictions. It’s one of the reasons why I favor tax havens and federalism. Simply stated, politicians are less likely to do bad things when they know economic activity can...