by Dan Mitchell | Sep 11, 2017 | Blogs, Economics
If tax policy was a religion, the Holy Trinity of reform would be very straightforward. Lower tax rates in order to encourage more productive behavior. Get rid of double taxation in order to enable saving and investment. End distorting preferences in order to reduce...
by Dan Mitchell | Sep 6, 2017 | Blogs, Taxation
Whenever I see an otherwise sensible person express support for a value-added tax, it triggers a Pavlovian response. And it’s not a favorable reaction. I’ve criticized Tom Dolan, Greg Mankiw, and Paul Ryan, for pro-VAT comments. I’ve gone after Kevin Williamson, Josh...
by Dan Mitchell | Sep 2, 2017 | Blogs, Taxation
Why were the Reagan tax cuts so successful? Why did the economy rebound so dramatically from the malaise of the 1970s? The easy answer is that we got better tax policy, especially lower marginal tax rates on personal and business income. Those lower rates reduced the...
by Dan Mitchell | Jul 8, 2017 | Big Government, Blogs, States, Taxation
Here’s what I wrote last month about the fiscal situation in Illinois. Illinois is a mess. Taxes and spending already are too high, and huge unfunded liabilities point to an even darker future. Simply stated, politicians and government employee unions have created an...
by Dan Mitchell | Jun 17, 2017 | Blogs, Tax Competition, Taxation
Whenever I debate my left-wing friends on tax policy, they routinely assert that taxes don’t matter. They argue that we don’t have to worry about the Laffer Curve because high tax rates don’t discourage taxable income. They argue that we don’t have to worry about...
