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

Bill Clinton thinks corps will put people first, profits second…all on their own.

So, Bill baby thinks the corps are going to see the light and return to the good old days of having a social conscience.  Heck, they will even see the light regarding their role as a member of society in the US.   And, here is the best part.  This is all going to happen without the […]

Corporate taxes down, workers’ taxes up–that’s America today

by Linda Beale Corporate taxes down, workers’ taxes up–that’s America today Corporate taxes used to constitute a significant portion of federal revenues, almost a third in 1950.  Payroll taxes from workers were considerably less–around 10% in 1950.  Andrew Leonard, Who Really Pays Taxes? Salon.com (Aug. 28, 2012).The times have changed.  Corporate taxes have declined steeply […]

Corporations Don’t Need More Tax Breaks

by Linda Beale Corporations Don’t Need More Tax Breaks If you listen to the corporate lobbyists, and the right-wingers who plead their cases for them in Congress and in the media, you’d think that corporations are so heavily taxed that it is threatening their ability to continue to conduct business and be competitive in world […]

Whiny Apple Pioneered Avoidance Strategies, Books Fictional Tax Rates

by Kenneth Thomas Whiny Apple Pioneered Avoidance Strategies, Books Fictional Tax Rates If you haven’t yet seen The New York Times article on Apple, go read it. I’ll wait. It’s a blockbuster.    As I wrote last month, Apple whines about the fact that it has to pay taxes. But of course, it does much more […]

AEI Economists and the Ugly Memory Hole

by Mike Kimel From an article in the NY Times: Politicians sometimes say that lower tax rates lead to higher economic growth, which in turn leads to higher overall tax revenue. This may have been true in the early 1960s, when the top tax rate was 91 percent, but the top tax rate today is […]

The Supreme Court’s corporate monsters–if money buys them "free speech" rights, can it help them avoid giving others human rights?

by Linda Beale The Supreme Court’s corporate monsters–if money buys them “free speech” rights, can it help them avoid giving others human rights? The Supreme Court decided in Citizens United that corporations could intevene to influence elections–giving money and aide to their selected candidates. This was an inordinate broadening of corporate “personhood”, claimed to be […]

How the Internet Can Make You Smarter, Today’s FT Version

Today’s Page 1, above-the-fold, biggest type headlines for the FT: US PDF edition: “Obama proposes corporate tax rate cut: System ‘outdated, unfair, and inefficient’ US Print edition: “Obama and Romney unveil rival tax plans: Proposals show strong support for reforms” The latter piece waits until the 7th graf to Tell the Truth and Shame the […]

Why we don’t need corporate tax "overhaul":

by Linda Beale Why we don’t need corporate tax “overhaul” GOP poormouthing on behalf of rich corporate allies(Part I in a series) These days, one hears a great deal from politicians on the right about how a corporate tax “overhaul” is needed because our taxes are “too complex” and/or “too anti-competitive” or because our tax […]

Guest Post: Does a lower Corporate Tax burden increase private investment?

Update: Dan here: I am posting Jon’s reply now to comments in this post. Technical troubles continue for Jon. It is always a pleasure to find clear and concise posts from a ‘new’ econoblogger. Mike Kimel found Econographia. Hopefully more is on the way. by Jon Hammond Guest post: Does a lower corporate tax burden […]

Ian Ayres on the Brandeis Tax

by Linda Beale   Ian Ayres on the Brandeis Tax I’ve often argued here that vast inequality is harmful to democracy, and that the kind of unequal society that we have today, reflected the Gilded Age of yore, is especially worrisome.  Much of what is happening in this country that threatens freedom and economic suffering […]