Learning from the European Experience: Do Higher Tax Burdens Lead to Less Red Ink?

by Dan Mitchell | Dec 8, 2012 | Blogs, Economics, Flat Tax, Taxation

I’ve been arguing against higher taxes because of my concerns that more revenue will simply lead to a bigger burden of government spending. Yes, I realize it is theoretically possible that a tax hike could be part of a political deal that produces a good outcome, such...

Richard Epstein Discusses the Flat Tax

by Dan Mitchell | Nov 23, 2012 | Blogs, Economics, Flat Tax, Taxation

In addition to being my former debating partner, Richard Epstein is one of America’s premiere public intellectuals. You can watch him make mincemeat out of George Soros in this video, for instance, and you can listen to his astute observations about his former law...

What’s the Best Way of Achieving Good Fiscal Policy?

by Dan Mitchell | Oct 27, 2012 | Blogs, Tax Competition, Taxation

The half-joking response to the question in the title of this post is that policymakers should look at what’s happening in poorly run jurisdictions such as California, France, Illinois, and Greece – and then do just the opposite. In other words, steer clear of...

Debunking Obama’s Flawed Assertions on Tax Deductions and Corporate Welfare

by Dan Mitchell | Oct 5, 2012 | Blogs, Economics, Taxation

In a violation of the 8th Amendment’s prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment, my brutal overseers at the Cato Institute required me to watch Wednesday’s debate (you can see what Cato scholars said by clicking here). But I will admit that it was good to...

It’s Wrong for Federal Tax Deductions to Encourage Bad Fiscal Policy by State and Local Governments

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...