by Dan Mitchell | Jul 21, 2013 | Big Government, Blogs, Economics, Government Spending, Laffer Curve, Taxation
The budget deficit this year is projected to be significantly smaller than it has been in recent years and some of our statist friends claim that this shows the desirability and effectiveness of higher taxes. I’m not persuaded, mostly because our big long-run fiscal...
by Dan Mitchell | Jul 5, 2013 | Blogs, Economics, Taxation
I periodically cite new academic research about tax policy and economic activity. I sometimes even publicize research from international bureaucracies showing the link between taxes and growth. I’m not naive enough to think that any particular study will change minds,...
by Dan Mitchell | Jul 1, 2013 | Blogs, Taxation
Milton Friedman famously noted that, “Nothing is so permanent as a temporary government program”and Ronald Reagan sagely observed that “a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we’ll ever see on this earth.” They’re both right, but they should have...
by Dan Mitchell | Jun 26, 2013 | Big Government, Blogs, Economics, Tax Competition, Tax Havens, Taxation
In a recent interview with the BBC, I basically accused UK Prime Minister David Cameron of being a feckless and clueless demagogue who is engaged in a desperate effort to resuscitate his political future. I shouldn’t have been so kind. Cameron manages to combine bad...
by Dan Mitchell | Jun 19, 2013 | Big Government, Blogs, Economics, Europe, Government Spending, Taxation
In my never-ending crusade to push for the right kind of austerity, I appeared on RT to pontificate on the merits of limited government. We got to cover a lot of material, so here’s some augmenting material. 1. The right kind of “austerity” is less government...