by Dan Mitchell | Mar 27, 2013 | Big Government, Blogs, Government Spending, Taxation
In recent months, people have asked me why I’m acting all giddy and optimistic. Am I hooked on cocaine? Have I fallen in love? Did I inherit several million dollars? These questions started after I said the fiscal cliff was a smaller loss than I expected. Then people...
by Dan Mitchell | Mar 25, 2013 | Blogs, Economics, Tax Competition, Tax Harmonization, Tax Havens, Taxation
I’ve been very critical of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Most recently, I criticized the Paris-based bureaucracy for making the rather remarkable assertion that a value-added tax would boost growth and employment. But that’s just the tip...
by Dan Mitchell | Mar 22, 2013 | Big Government, Blogs, Economics, Government Spending, Taxation
I’m a sucker for a good flowchart because they either can help to simplify analysis or they can show how something is very complex. Some of my favorites include: This explanation of double taxation. This depiction of the no-win Greek economic crisis. Portrayals of...
by Dan Mitchell | Mar 19, 2013 | Blogs, Economics, Laffer Curve, Taxation
Cigarette butt, to be more specific. All over the world, governments impose draconian taxes on tobacco, and then they wind up surprised that projected revenues don’t materialize. We’ve seen this in Bulgaria and Romania, and we’ve seen this Laffer Curve effect in...
by Dan Mitchell | Mar 17, 2013 | Blogs, Economics, Laffer Curve, Taxation
Regular readers know that I’m a big advocate of the Laffer Curve, which is the common-sense notion that higher tax rates will cause people to change their behavior in ways that reduce taxable income. But that doesn’t mean “all tax cuts pay for themselves.” Yes, that...
