Tag Archives : higher taxes
Europe’s Slow-Motion Fiscal Suicide
I shared an astounding chart last month showing that tax increases account for 90 percent of the so-called “austerity” in Europe. The author of the chart, Veronique de Rugy of the Mercatus Center, calls this “private sector austerity” and she correctly argues that her home continent is in desperate need of some austerity on the […]
read more...We Should Worry about the Long-Run Burden of Government, not the Fiscal Cliff
I appeared on CNBC yesterday to talk about the “fiscal cliff” and the potential impact on economic performance. You won’t be surprised to learn that I’m mostly concerned with how the issue gets resolved. Yes, there is some temporary uncertainty that is probably making markets skittish, but I’m much more worried about Obama bullying the […]
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Higher Taxes Mean Bigger Government, not Lower Deficits
President Obama and other statists in Washington want a big class-warfare tax hike. They claim the additional revenue is necessary to reduce red ink. But their ideological crusade is based on some blatant distortions. They tell us that tax increases are necessary, but even CBO data shows that the budget can be balanced in just […]
read more...Now that the Election Is Over, the Washington Post Admits that the Obama Recovery Has Been Terrible
I agree that Obama inherited a crappy economy, and I think it is silly to assert that he bears any responsibility for the severity of the 2007-2009 recession. But it is very fair to hold him responsible for what’s happened since the recession ended. I’ve cited data from the Minneapolis Federal Reserve on both employment […]
read more...Two Cheers for Spain’s Anti-Tax “Carrot Rebellion”
If there was a prize for fighting back against tax authorities, the Italians would probably deserve first place. I’m not aware of any other country where tax offices get firebombed. The Italians also believe in passive forms of resistance, with tens of thousands of boat owners sailing away to protect themselves from the government. But […]
read more...In a Debate for U.S. News & World Report, I Argue Obama’s Plan Is Worse than the Fiscal Cliff
I took part today in a nine-person debate on the fiscal cliff for U.S. News & World Report. We were all asked, “Is Going Over the ‘Fiscal Cliff’ Necessarily the Worst Outcome?” I said “no” because there are worse options, and I specifically explained that Obama’s class warfare agenda is even more destructive. Readers are […]
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Another Leftist Admits the Real Goal Is Taxing the Middle Class
Obama has staked out a very dogmatic and inflexible position on class-warfare tax hikes and he obviously wants all of us to think only the “rich” will be impacted. I think it’s foolish to penalize investors, entrepreneurs, small business owners and other upper-income taxpayers. What nation, after all, has ever prospered by placing obstacles in […]
read more...In the OECD’s Fantasy World, Higher VAT Taxes “Foster Growth and Employment”
Regular readers know I’m not a fan of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Heck, just take a look at some of the examples in this post and you’ll understand why. Well, the Secretary-General of the Paris-based bureaucracy just pontificated about the value-added tax. Let’s see whether my knee-jerk hostility is warranted. Here is […]
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How Do You Turn a Leftist into a Warmonger?
More than four years ago, as part of my efforts to promote and protect tax competition, fiscal sovereignty, and financial privacy, I narrated this video explaining the economic benefits of so-called tax havens. Pay close attention at the 1:07 mark. Yes, you heard right. A former bureaucrat from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development […]
read more...The Simple Solution to the Fiscal Cliff
Augmented by some amusing cartoons, I’ve already warned that the hysteria about the fiscal cliff is basically a ploy by the politicians to extract more revenue to finance bigger government. Elaborating on this concern, I wrote a column for today’s New York Daily News. I started with a description of the three issues that are […]
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