Topic: Taxation

International, Policy, Regulation, Taxation

Canary in a Cigarette Smuggling Coal Mine

– July 9, 2023

“Banning menthol cigarettes would only exacerbate America’s substantial trade in cigarette tax evasion and avoidance, this time with an assist from transnational crime syndicates.” ~ Michael LaFaive and Todd Nesbit

Education, Policy, Taxation

Is There Any Such Thing as Legislation Anymore?

– July 9, 2023

“With congressional opposition to a legislative approach clear, the Administration decided to work through the Department of Education to use the HEROES Act to accomplish administratively what they had been unable to do legislatively.” ~ Ryan Yonk and Laura Arce

Art and Culture, Classical Liberalism, Philosophy, Taxation

This Independence Day

– July 4, 2023

“The entire political logic of constitutional government flows from the idea of negative rights. A government of limited constitutional power is possible only if the purpose of government is limited to protecting the natural rights of each citizen.” ~ Thomas Krannawitter

Currency, Economic History, History, Taxation

Imperial Monetary Policy and the Independence Movement

– July 3, 2023

“The road to independence, the Imperial Crisis as some term it, began with resistance to the Stamp Act, which indeed was a type of tax but not, on its face, a particularly onerous one. So the key to understanding the independence movement is to understand why the colonists reacted to the Stamp Act as vigorously as they did.” ~ Robert E. Wright

Policy, Property Rights, Taxation

No, Joe, There is No Such Thing as a “Fair Share” of Taxes

– June 30, 2023

“Tax rates are largely politically motivated and arbitrarily chosen, and stacked with exemptions and penalties to help incentivize behaviors favored by the politicians writing the voluminous tax code. Regardless of the rates, there is no ‘fairness’ to be achieved.” ~ Brian Balfour

International, Policy, Taxation

Norway’s Wealth Tax Is Backfiring. Are Americans Paying Attention?

– June 23, 2023

“More ‘super rich’ Norwegians left Norway in 2022 than during the previous 13 years combined. The reason wealthy Norwegians are fleeing the country is not a secret.” ~ Jon Miltimore

Government, Policy, Taxation

Votes For and Votes Against

– June 20, 2023

“If we think of votes as ‘votes for’ candidates, then it would make some sense to declare any candidate who wins only a plurality of votes, but not a majority, as the victor.” ~ Donald J. Boudreaux

Economic Education, Property Rights, Taxation

Wealth Taxes: The Tale of “Tuh”

– June 5, 2023

“Wealth taxes are premised on the idea that since security services make wealth more valuable, the wealthy have to pay a share of the value ‘created’ by the state. But that’s ridiculous.”

Books, Economic Growth, Public Choice and Public Policy, Taxation

Continuing to Get Straight the Facts About the American Economy

– May 31, 2023

“Despite governments at the local, state, and federal levels all obstructing, in various ways, the process of entrepreneurial wealth creation, the robustness of the American economy continues to impress.”

Fiscal Policy, Government, Policy, Taxation

Playing Chicken with a Stack of Steering Wheels

– May 26, 2023

“People often complain about the ‘irrationality’ of politics, but there is nothing irrational about the process that has given rise to our crushing debt burden. Voters really do want lower deficits, provided it does not involve either cutting spending or raising taxes.” ~ Michael Munger

Books, Capitalism, Economic Trends, Taxation

The Myth of American Inequality and Stagnation

– May 25, 2023

“The familiar trope of the rich getting richer, the poor getting poorer, and the middle classes treading water is disproved by devastatingly large amounts of empirical evidence.” ~ Donald J. Boudreaux

Economic Trends, Free Markets, Taxation

America’s Long Depression

– May 19, 2023

“The US economy may continue to grow or shrink a few percent from year to year, but it will remain mired in a deep depression compared to what it could have achieved.” ~ Robert E. Wright