“Why a carbon tax would be bad for Britain” By Sam Packer, courtesy of Taxpayers’ Alliance UK In 2011, Australia introduced the Clean Energy Act to levy additional taxes on carbon emissions. It was repealed just three years later. Since then, British politicians have repeatedly advocated following suit, with 516 references made to the idea […]
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Global digital tax proposal is a recipe for decline
“Opinion: Harmful attempts to plan and regulate the global economy” By Prince Michael von Liechtenstein, courtesy of ECAEF Recently, a G20 summit of finance ministers was held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The main concern of the summiteers was not the condition of the global economy, but two other issues: taxing the digital economy and taming digital […]
Emergency stimulus plan will cost billions
“A response to the Chancellor’s new package of support” By Carl Emmerson, Tom Waters and Xiaowei Xu, courtesy of the Institute of Fiscal Studies The Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, has today announced a substantial package of support that will incentivise employers to keep hold of their employees over the next few months […]
Facing coronavirus, “EU solidarity must be more than an empty slogan”
“Europe under siege” By Fabian Zuleeg and Janis Emmanouilidis, courtesy of EPC The European Union (EU) and its member states have been hit hard by COVID-19 – but the worst is yet to come. Tragically, more people will lose their lives. Now, the highest priority for Europe’s healthcare systems must be to do what […]
Spain faces tough choices for economic stimulus, qualitative reforms needed
“Will economic measures against the coronavirus be effective?” By Hugo Pereira, courtesy of Civismo We are, without a doubt, facing a historic moment. The coronavirus not only infected people, but practically all of the social spheres: politics, the economy, and even our own psychology. We have come to realize that we are not as […]
Freed from regulatory shackles, drug firms step up on COVID-19 testing
“Temporarily Unshackled Private Sector Responds to Demand for More Coronavirus Tests” By Jeffrey Singer, courtesy of the Cato Institute I and others have attributed much of the initially flat‐footed response of public health officials to the coronavirus pandemic to cumbersome, inflexible, and outdated regulations controlling the development and distribution of drugs and tests. As I pointed […]
States can’t act in place of feds during a pandemic
The unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of federal action in coordinating emergency public health response, according to a commentary in Fortune by Fanyin Zheng, an assistant professor of the Decision, Risk, and Operations Division of Columbia Business School. In the op-ed, titled “States cannot fight coronavirus alone. The federal government must […]
Individual responsibility now, or face illiberal regimes soon
“Private and state responsibility in pandemic times” By Dr. Peter Grünenfelder, courtesy of Avenir Suisse Anarchists and libertarians have one mistake in common: both believe that a community can function without sovereign institutions. Classic liberals have never had anything to do with such enthusiasms. Whether Immanuel Kant, John Locke or Montesquieu, they were […]
New Yorkers Wage Quiet Battle Against Invisible Foe
In the end, it all happened quickly: In the space of a few days, life has shut down in a city that’s famous for never sleeping. A week ago, there was still dancing in the city’s clubs, dining in its gourmet restaurants and learning in its schools. Now all that has stopped. New York City’s […]
Time to Bring Back Copper in Public Spaces?
By Sandra Wirtz, courtesy of American Resources Policy Network Rock beats scissors. Scissors beat paper. Copper beats coronavirus. It sounds flippant, but at this moment of utmost seriousness, there’s a truth to it. In a new piece, senior writer for Fast Company Mark Wilson discusses the thesis of Bill Keevil, […]