Question: Mr. President announces that, starting in 2011, there will be a sharp increase in tax rates. What do you think individuals and businesses will do in 2010? Using basic economics, Arthur Laffer in a Wall Street Journal article dated June 6 gives us a very plausible scenario: Individuals and businesses will do their best to transform the wealth and income to be taxed in 2011 into wealth and income to be taxed in 2010.
In an interview for the German Handelsblatt, the French Minister of Economy Christine Lagarde suggested that European countries that do not respect deficit limits should be punished. Lagarde proposes that…
This is the payroll tax paid on wages in Greece. 28% of it is born by employers and 16% by employees. It is not surprising that the unemployment rate in…
A few years ago, the so-called Tobin tax, designed to hit financial operations, was called-for by anti-globalization groups such as ATTAC. Today, in Europe, some parties claiming strangely to be liberalist, including heads of State, support the introduction of this new compulsory levy. Of course, politicians vie currently in the art of proposing new taxes and increasing those already existing. As though the ills which befall the European Union were not due precisely to the excessive taxes which feed obese and insatiable states.
A recent study by Duanjie Chen and Jack Mintz, School of Public Policy, University of Calgary is estimating the effective corporate tax rates in 80 countries. These effective rates are taking into account statutory rates plus tax base items that affect taxes paid on new investment, such as depreciation deductions, inventory allowances, and interest deductions.
The Commission’s proposal, which amends Regulation 1060/2009, will now pass to the EU Council of Ministers and the European Parliament for consideration. If adopted, the new rules would be expected to come into force during 2011. The Commission has already compelled CRAs that would like their credit ratings to be used in the EU to apply for registration.
In the recent past, many States resorted to public spending increases in order to boost their shaky economies. At present, they have to face great deficits. They believed, no doubt, that there is no need to obey to financial constraints, but the market reminded them that any debt has to be reimbursed some day. Indebted and weakened governments are now forced to cut on spending and increase taxes. Hence an urgent need for a scapegoat. Fortunately enough, there are still some places to turn to for a credible alternative. Analysis from Jean-Philippe Delsol.
The Italian public railroad company Trenitalia will be challenged form 2011 by the private NTV (Nuovo Transporto Viaggiatori). NTV is managed by Luca di Montezemelo, also on the head of…
The demonstrations against the “reforms” in France have been less vigorous than expected. There is an evident explanation for this – neither the austerity plan, nor the pension reform engaged…
As a long-standing critic of the concept of a single European currency, I have not rejoiced at the current problems in the eurozone that threaten the very survival of the euro. Before discussing the events surrounding the Greek debt crisis further, I must provide at least a working definition of what the word “collapse” means. In the context of the euro, there are at least two interpretations that come to mind. The first one suggests that the eurozone project or the project establishing a common European currency has collapsed already by failing to bring about positive effects that had been expected of it.
