by Dan Mitchell | Mar 12, 2019 | Blogs, Economics, Taxation
When I write about the benefits of trade, I periodically point out that America has a trade deficit because it has a foreign investment surplus. And since investment is a key driver of economic growth and rising wages, that’s a good outcome. It basically means that...
by Dan Mitchell | Mar 3, 2019 | Blogs, Taxation
Germany is like the Nordic nations. It gets a decent ranking (#20) for overall economic freedom, but mostly because a bad score for fiscal policy is offset by reasonably good scores in other policy areas. Taking a closer look at fiscal policy, there’s a heavy burden...
by Dan Mitchell | Feb 28, 2019 | Blogs, Tax Competition, Taxation
Much to the consternation of some Republicans, I periodically explain that the Trump Administration is – at best – a mixed blessing for supporters of limited government. It’s not just that Trump is the most protectionist president since Herbert Hoover, though that’s...
by Dan Mitchell | Feb 26, 2019 | Blogs, Taxation
I’m currently in the Cayman Islands, which is one of my favorite places since – like Bermuda, Monaco, Vanuatu, Antigua and Barbuda, and a few other lucky places in the world – it has no income tax. At the risk of stating the obvious, the absence of an income tax has...
by Dan Mitchell | Feb 23, 2019 | Big Government, Blogs, Government Spending, Taxation
I recently appeared on CNBC to talk about everyone’s favorite government agency, those warm and cuddly folks at the IRS. Our tax system is a dysfunctional mess, but you’ll notice that I mostly blamed politicians. After all, they are the ones who have unceasingly made...