Relevant and even prescient commentary on news, politics and the economy.

More on Ineffective Fiscal Policy

This is a companion piece to Steve’s AB post from earlier today, where he points out the specious reasoning of  “the likes of Scott Sumner, David Beckworth, Lars Christensen, et al., claiming that fiscal austerity has obviously had no effect on GDP growth.” I wrote Sumner off a few years ago due to a highly […]

Is the IRS Inspector General Himself Partisan, Or Is He Just Stupifyingly Clueless About the Law?

After the tax agency was denounced in recent weeks by President Obama, lawmakers and critics for what they described as improper scrutiny of at least 100 groups seeking I.R.S. recognition, The New York Times examined more than a dozen of the organizations, most of them organized as 501(c)(4) “social welfare” groups under the tax code, […]

Does Steady GDP Growth “Prove” that Market Monetarists Are Right About Ineffective Fiscal Policy and Foolish Keynesianism?

You’re seeing a lot of crowing these days from the likes of Scott Sumner, David Beckworth, Lars Christensen, et al., claiming that fiscal austerity has obviously had no effect on GDP growth. “Look!” they say: “Even with the sequester and all the other government spending cuts, growth in 2013 has been the same as 2012! […]

Modern money and public purpose

From Matt McOsker  : This might be a good debate to advertise on AB: http://www.modernmoneyandpublicpurpose.com/mmt-vs-austrian-school.html Modern Monetary Theory vs. the Austrian school macroeconomic debates among the heterodoxy Warren Mosler, Author, Soft Currency Economic Versus Robert Murphy, Associated Scholar, The Mises Academy When: 6.15pm June 3rd, 2013 Where: Room 103, Jerome Greene Hall, Columbia Law School Livestream: A […]

“Libertarian Koch brothers have taken tens of millions in subsidies UPDATED

The Cato Institute, originally the Charles Koch Foundation, is one of the most influential libertarian think tanks in the country. With both Charles and David Koch on its board of directors, Cato has produced numerous studies on the evils of corporate subsidies (which it calls “corporate welfare“), dating back at least to the 1990s. Supposedly, […]

Why Libs and Cons Should All Love Milton Friedman’s Corporate Tax Proposal

I’m constantly astounded that nobody on the left or the right ever mentions Milton Friedman’s proposal for taxes on corporate profits. On page 174 of (my edition of) Friedman’s libertarian bible Capitalism and Freedom, he proposes what seems a simple and sensible plan (transcription here): …the abolition of the corporate income tax, … with the requirement […]

Stiglitz on globalization: the MNEs bought the law they wanted; it’s time to take it back

by Linda Beale Stiglitz on globalization: the MNEs bought the law they wanted; it’s time to take it back Joseph Stiglitz has a new read-worthy article. Globalization isn’t just about profits; it’s about taxes, too, The Guardian (May 27, 2013). As he notes towards the conclusion of the piece, the big MNEs aren’t simply “applying […]