Cactus Tree Motel

  02 May 2012

Reblogged from jonathan-cunningham.
pantslessprogressive: “The reason that unemployment is high clearly has nothing to do with taxes. Consequently, there is no reason to think that reducing taxes further will do anything to raise employment by reducing the tax wedge. Additional evidence on this point comes from a new study by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development on taxes paid by average workers in its 34 member countries. The data [above] are for a single worker without children. As one can see, the United States is a low-tax country with a total tax wedge of 29.5 percent. Three-fourths of O.E.C.D. countries have a larger tax wedge on average workers. I have also included the latest data on the percentage of workers employed as a share of the working-age population. I think this is a better measure of the health of the labor market than the unemployment rate, which goes up and down for a variety of reasons unconnected to taxes. Here, too, there is little evidence that taxes affect employment one way or another. Almost half of the countries with a bigger tax wedge employ a larger percentage of their working-age populations than the United States does, and more than half of those with a smaller tax wedge have lower employment ratios. […] There is simply no evidence that cutting taxes at the present time will do anything to raise employment.” - Bruce Bartlett: Taxes and Employment But who needs evidence when you have rhetoric?

pantslessprogressive:

“The reason that unemployment is high clearly has nothing to do with taxes. Consequently, there is no reason to think that reducing taxes further will do anything to raise employment by reducing the tax wedge.

Additional evidence on this point comes from a new study by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development on taxes paid by average workers in its 34 member countries. The data [above] are for a single worker without children.

As one can see, the United States is a low-tax country with a total tax wedge of 29.5 percent. Three-fourths of O.E.C.D. countries have a larger tax wedge on average workers.

I have also included the latest data on the percentage of workers employed as a share of the working-age population. I think this is a better measure of the health of the labor market than the unemployment rate, which goes up and down for a variety of reasons unconnected to taxes.

Here, too, there is little evidence that taxes affect employment one way or another. Almost half of the countries with a bigger tax wedge employ a larger percentage of their working-age populations than the United States does, and more than half of those with a smaller tax wedge have lower employment ratios. […]

There is simply no evidence that cutting taxes at the present time will do anything to raise employment.” - Bruce Bartlett: Taxes and Employment

But who needs evidence when you have rhetoric?

  1. rosadefuego reblogged this from kadalkavithaigal
  2. sociopoliticaldribble reblogged this from kadalkavithaigal
  3. kadalkavithaigal reblogged this from jonathan-cunningham
  4. istellar reblogged this from zhounder
  5. zhounder reblogged this from cactustreemotel
  6. firesaw reblogged this from jonathan-cunningham
  7. gaborger reblogged this from pantslessprogressive
  8. kylegreggy reblogged this from pantslessprogressive
  9. seymourbuhts reblogged this from vinegarwilliams
  10. onek4rma reblogged this from jonathan-cunningham
  11. vinegarwilliams reblogged this from jonathan-cunningham
  12. cactustreemotel reblogged this from jonathan-cunningham and added:
    But who needs evidence when you have rhetoric?
  13. jonathan-cunningham reblogged this from pantslessprogressive
  14. screamingjessopmonkey reblogged this from iamnineonefour
  15. writingcapital reblogged this from theamericanbear
  16. silas216 reblogged this from pantslessprogressive
  17. salientverses reblogged this from workonprogress
  18. keepingyounumb reblogged this from pantslessprogressive
  19. madame-chatie reblogged this from mutualassureddistraction
  20. masonmk8 reblogged this from pantslessprogressive
  21. betteryourbrain reblogged this from theoccasionalitalic
  22. jayaprada reblogged this from pantslessprogressive
  23. workonprogress reblogged this from pantslessprogressive