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TOPIC A
Should the system of progressive federal income taxation be replaced with a flat income or consumption tax? |
BACKGROUND:
What's a Flat Tax?. CNN Money, October 24, 2011.
A primer.
The Craze for Flat Taxes. The Economist, October 29, 2011.
The smorgasbord of tax plans on offer during the present GOP primary campaign season.
The Flat Tax: It's Simple, Alluring. But One-Size-Fits-All Idea Faces Skepticism. San Francisco Chronicle, April 11, 2007.
Is it time for a closer look at the flat tax?
YES:
Eliminate Tax Brackets and Complicated Forms With a Flat Tax. U.S. News & World Report, April 12, 2010.
Brief synopsis of arguments for a flat tax.
A Brief Guide to the Flat Tax. Heritage Foundation, July 7, 2005.
The current tax system is a complicated failure that hinders the nation’s growth; this is stimulating a great deal of interest in shifting to a simple and fair flat tax.
The Fair Tax vs. the Flat Tax (pdf). Americans for Fair Taxation.
Compares a "flat tax" -- a flat income tax -- with what supporters call a "fair tax" -- a flat consumption tax, such as a VAT or national sales tax. Other research and commentary by this group can be found here.
Huckabee's Tax Plan Is Brilliant. Slate, January 10, 2008.
Replacing the graduated income tax with a flat national sales tax is "an innovative tax plan that's being trashed by journalists who almost universally fail to understand its consequences," writes an economist.
NO:
The Problem with Flat Tax Fever. The New York Times, November 5, 2011.
A flat tax does nothing to make filing tax returns any simpler, and would greatly exacerbate income inequality. (NYTimes site link here.)
The Folly of the Flat Tax. The Wall Street Journal, November 14, 2011.
A prominent eonomist and former vice chair of the Federal Reserve argues that flatter rates won't make the system any simpler; it will just make it less progressive. (WSJ site link here).
Flat Tax is Class Warfare. U.S. News & World Report, April 12, 2010.
Brief synopsis of arguments against a flat tax.
Progressive Taxation: Some Hidden Truths. AlterNet, April 16, 2007.
Progressive taxation is appropriate because "the common wealth, which taxes create and sustain, empowers the wealthy in myriad ways to create their wealth."
WRONG QUESTION:
The Flat Tax Is Not Flat and the FairTax Is Not Fair. Ludwig von Mises Institute, April 3, 2009.
Quibbling about how government can make tax rates flatter or fairer while it robs us of trillions of dollars is a waste of time. Real libertarians understand that the only fair tax is a tax low enough to flatten skyrocketing congressional spending. |
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TOPIC B
Should the minimum wage be raised (e.g. to a “living wage” level)? |
BACKGROUND:
Minimum Wage Hike: More Money or Fewer Jobs?. CNN Money.com, July 27, 2009.
Current state of play - this article published at the time of the last increase in the federal minimum wage.
'Living Wage' Roulette: A Bigger Paycheck, or a Pink Slip? New York Times, May 19, 2002.
Analyzes pros and cons of living wage laws.
YES:
Interview With Mark Brenner. Political Economy Research Institute, Univ. of Massachusetts, May 8, 2009.
Q&A with the author of the 2005 book Living Wage Laws in Practice.
A Stealthy Stimulus (pdf). Economic Policy Institute, May 28, 2009.
How boosting the minimum wage is helping to stimulate the economy.
A Strong Minimum Wage Can Help Working Families, Business, and Our Economy Recover. National Employment Law Project, January 2011.
A robust minimum wage is a key
building block of sustainable economic recovery.
Living Wage Laws: How Much Do (Can) They Matter?. The Brookings Institution, December 10, 2008.
The link above is to an executive summary; full report (pdf) is here.
Clearing the Air: Myths and Concerns. Universal Living Wage, November 27, 2007.
NO:
Job Slayers. The Wall Street Journal, August 29, 2005.
Brief editorial opposing minimum wage hikes.
Two related posts by a Univ. of Chicago economist at The New York Times blog Economix:
Attack of the Minimum-Wage Increase, January 20, 2010.
Did the Minimum Wage Increase Destroy Jobs?, March 10, 2010.
Below the Minimum Wage. Cato Institute, January 19, 2006.
As moral issues go, the "living wage" crusade is purely malevolent.
Mythology of the Minimum Wage. Ludwig von Mises Institute, May 3, 2006.
Eliminating minimum wage laws would reduce unemployment and improve the efficiency of markets for low productivity labor.
The Sin of Wages. Slate, July 9, 2004.
The minimum wage is very good for unskilled workers. It transfers income to them. And therein lies the right argument against the minimum wage.
SEE ALSO these charts:
CHART: State Minimum Wage Rates. Labor Law Center.
CHART: Local Living Wage Ordinances and Coverage. National Employment Law Project, December 6, 2010.
CHART: Minimum Wage in U.S. Fails to Beat Inflation. Bloomberg, Dec. 28, 2011. |
