by Dan Mitchell | Aug 2, 2018 | Big Government, Blogs
There’s a problem in California. No, I’m not referring to the punitive tax laws. Nor am I talking about the massive unfunded liabilities for bureaucrat pension. Those are big problems, to be sure, but today’s topic is the state’s government-created housing crisis. The...
by Dan Mitchell | Nov 30, 2015 | Blogs, Taxation
Why does the tax code require more than 10,000,000 words and more than 75,000 pages? There are several reasons and none of them are good. But if you had to pick one cause for all the mess, it would be the fact that politicians have worked with interest groups and...
by CF&P | Apr 22, 2014 | News, Prosperity Updates
Tax Competition News U.S. Ranks 94th of 100 Tax Systems The Tax Attractiveness Index has given the U.S. tax code poor marks. Robert W. Wood, writing in Forbes, blames America’s uncompetitive tax system for corporate tax avoidance....
by Dan Mitchell | Sep 30, 2012 | Blogs, Economics, States, Taxation
I have a handful of simple rules for good tax policy. Keep government small, since it’s impossible to have a reasonable tax system with a bloated welfare state. Keep tax rates low to minimize penalties against income, production, and wealth creation. Since capital...
by Dan Mitchell | Jan 30, 2012 | Big Government, Blogs, Flat Tax, Government Spending, Taxation
Leftists want higher tax rates and they want greater tax compliance. But they have a hard time understanding that those goals are inconsistent. Simply stated, people respond to incentives. When tax rates are punitive, folks earn and report less taxable income, and...