Behavioral Economics and the Conservative Critique of VAT
Our grim fiscal outlook has led to renewed calls for a value added tax (VAT). As discussed by Greg Mankiw, conservatives have conflicting feelings about a VAT. The main appeal is that a VAT taxes...
View ArticleShould Government Policies Favor Owners Over Renters?
Increasingly generous tax subsidies for homeowners are doing little to help the housing market. The U.S. Census Bureau reported yesterday that housing starts for October were down 10.6 percent from the...
View ArticleMore on Conservatives and the VAT
I share Howard’s criticism of the Senate proposition that characterizes a Value Added Tax (VAT) as “a massive tax increase that will cripple families on fixed income and only further push back...
View ArticleThe Senate Climate Bill Misses an Opportunity
Senators John Kerry (D-MA) and Joe Lieberman (I-CT) introduced a climate bill yesterday that, among other things, establishes a cap-and-trade program for greenhouse gases. The virtue of a cap-and-trade...
View ArticleIn Defense of Congressman Paul Ryan
Given that columnist Paul Krugman relied on Tax Policy Center estimates to level claims that Congressman Paul Ryan is a “flimflam man” and that Ryan’s plan to address our fiscal problems is a “fraud,”...
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