by Dan Mitchell | Aug 16, 2015 | Blogs, Economics, Taxation
Defenders of Social Security often make a point of stating that the retirement system is a form of “social insurance” because people become eligible for benefits by paying into the system. Welfare programs, by contrast, give money to people simply as a form of income...
by Dan Mitchell | Aug 13, 2015 | Blogs, Taxation
If you took a poll of Washington’s richest and most powerful people, you would probably find more than 90 percent of them support tax increases. At first glance, this doesn’t make sense. Why would a group of upper-income people want tax hikes? Are they self-loathing...
by Dan Mitchell | Aug 6, 2015 | Big Government, Blogs, Government Spending, Taxation
I have a very mixed view of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, which is an organization representing self-styled deficit hawks in Washington. They do careful work and I always feel confident about citing their numbers. Yet I frequently get frustrated...
by Dan Mitchell | Jul 27, 2015 | Big Government, Blogs, Government Spending, Taxation
When giving speeches outside the beltway, I sometimes urge people to be patient with Washington. Yes, we need fundamental tax reform and genuine entitlement reform, but there’s no way Congress can make those changes with Obama in the White House. But there are some...
by Dan Mitchell | Jul 18, 2015 | Blogs, Economics, Tax Competition, Tax Harmonization, Taxation
What’s the best way to generate growth and prosperity for the developing world? Looking at the incredible economic rise of jurisdictions such as Hong Kong andSingapore, it’s easy to answer that question. Simply put in place the rule of law, accompanied by free markets...