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...
by Dan Mitchell | Jan 19, 2012 | Blogs, Tax Havens, Taxation
Exactly 10 days ago, I predicted that the press would attack Mitt Romney for using tax havens. In that post, I wrote that, “…based on the questions, it appears that the establishment media wants to hit Romney for utilizing tax havens… As far as I can tell, none of...
by Dan Mitchell | Jan 17, 2012 | Blogs, Economics, Tax Competition, Tax Havens, Taxation
I’ve written several times about a proposed IRS regulation that would force American banks to put foreign law above U.S. law. I’ve repeatedly warned that the scheme, which would force financial institutions to report the deposit interest they pay to foreigners, is bad...
by Dan Mitchell | Oct 26, 2011 | Blogs, Taxation, VAT
The Secretary of the Treasury, Tim Geithner, is infamous for conveniently forgetting to pay tax on $80,000 of income and then getting kid-glove treatment from the IRS when his crime was uncovered. Not only did Geithner avoid even a slap on the wrist, he was confirmed...
by Dan Mitchell | Aug 16, 2011 | Big Government, Blogs, Economics, Government Spending, Tax Competition, Tax Havens, Taxation
I’ve joked on many occasions that bipartisanship occurs in Washington when the evil party and the stupid party come up with an idea that is simultaneously malicious and misguided. The international version of two-wrongs-don’t-make-a-right occurs whenever the French...