by Dan Mitchell | Dec 6, 2010 | Big Government, Blogs, Government Spending, Taxation
In his latest Bloomberg column, Kevin Hassett of the American Enterprise Institute notes that research from places such as Harvard and the International Monetary Fund confirms that spending restraint is the way to successfully reduce red ink – and it’s also the way to...
by Dan Mitchell | Nov 22, 2010 | Big Government, Blogs, Economics, Taxation
There’s been a lot of heated discussion about various preferences, deductions, credits, shelters, and other loopholes in the tax code. Some of this debate has revolved around whether it is legitimate to refer to these provisions as “tax expenditures” or “subsidies.”...
by Dan Mitchell | Nov 17, 2010 | Big Government, Blogs, Government Spending, Taxation, VAT
I’ve already commented on the proposal from the Chairmen of President Obama’s Fiscal Commission (including a very clever cartoon, if it’s okay to pat myself on the back). Now we have a similar proposal from the so-called Debt Reduction Task Force. Chaired by former...
by Dan Mitchell | Nov 17, 2010 | Big Government, Blogs, Economics, Taxation
Back during the presidential campaign, Barack Obama proposed several tax increases. Some of those tax hikes, such as the proposed higher income tax rates on investors, entrepreneurs, small business owners, and other “rich” taxpayers, have received a lot of public...
by Dan Mitchell | Nov 8, 2010 | Blogs, Taxation
The White House recently released a video, narrated by Austan Goolsbee of the Council of Economic Advisers, asserting that higher tax rates on the so-called rich would be a good idea. Since Goolsbee’s video made so many unsubstantiated assertions and was guilty of so...