Common Sense
Taxation
Repeal FATCA
The number of Americans renouncing their citizenship while residing overseas has increased dramatically in the past few years, according to the Department of the Treasury. The source is the Federal Register, which reports quarterly on expatriations as required by law. From an average of less than 1,000 per year the rate of expatriation has tripled […]
How the European Union Really Works by Der Spiegel
Originally “How the Benelux Blocked Anti-Tax Haven Laws” by Markus Becker, Peter Müller and Christoph Pauly. The article is reprinted with permission of the author. The views expressed are exclusively those of the author and are not necessarily endorsed by Common Sense. Internal European Union documents seen by SPIEGEL clearly show how Luxembourg’s government, under […]
How to Topple the American Oligarchy (Part One)
My fervent hope is that 2015 be the year that the American people begin to reclaim their country. For the past 35 years, we have been subjected to the most brutal kind of class warfare: and we have lost. We have lost control of our economy, we have lost control of our government, we have […]
Myth #3: The Obama Spending Binge
All’s fair in love and war, or so the saying goes. In politics as well, if US elections are anything to go by. Short of murder, American politicians can get away with almost anything on the campaign trail and could give lessons to Mr. Fantastic on stretching the truth. This includes the promotion of some […]
Myth #2: The Bush-era Tax Cuts
Once article of faith among Republicans is that tax cuts pay for themselves over the long run. How would this operate in theory? A tax cut to individuals would lead to more consumption as people spent the extra money on goods and services; this would in term increase business profits and lead to economic growth. This in […]
Myth #4: Democrats are bad for business
It has long been an article of faith amongst Republicans that only their party can be good for the economy, because Democrats are in fact closet socialists. This tradition goes back all the way to the founding of the Republican Party, which was disdained by the 1850’s version of the Democratic Party as Yankee stockjobbers and rabid New England […]
A Fair Deal for Homeowners
Taxes are the hot topic in American politics today. Americans had to file their Federal income tax forms yesterday. President Obama proposed the “Buffet Rule” whereby tax rates would be adjusted to ensure that no millionaires were paying less in taxes than their secretaries as a percentage of income. This was predictably shot down in […]
Mr. Ryan Goes To Washington
On March 21st, 2012, Representative Paul Ryan (1) presented a Republican alternative to President Obama’s recently submitted budget for fiscal 2013. The proposal was passed by the House and killed in the Senate, with voting following partisan lines. While it was never intended to be more than a political statement, a “shot across the bows” of President […]
Letter to the Spanish middle class
Americans whine and complain about their tax system (with justification – it’s full of loopholes and grossly inequitable) but overall US taxes are pretty low. Compare it with the new Spanish personal income tax rates just published. Can we all spell “confiscatory”? Allow me to mention that this doesn’t include the increases to the property […]
The Brandeis ratio: a proposal to tax income inequality
http://www.freakonomics.com/2011/12/21/an-inequality-tax-trigger-the-brandeis-ratio-explained/ The folks at Freakonomics present us with an interesting proposal to measure and tax income inequality. It is not enough to simply “tax the rich”; funds from these taxes must be channeled into investments that maximize the potential of the poor to surmount the very significant barriers that exist to enter the middle and […]
Common Sense
- Repeal FATCA August 3, 2016
- Did the US Abandon the New Syrian Army at Al Bukamal? July 14, 2016
- This is Not My America July 8, 2016
- Erdogan’s Apology: Cui Prodest? June 29, 2016
- Incorrigible Spain June 27, 2016
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