By Nicolas Marques, courtesy of the Institut Molinari We often hear it said that managing a pandemic such as the coronavirus depends on societal choices. The alternative would be to save lives or savings. Health and economic data show that the reality is far more complex than this caricatural dilemma. Some countries are able to reconcile […]
Tag: France
Dump anti-business taxes to unleash French potential
“Let’s dismantle our anti-economic taxation before it finishes our economy” By Nicolas Marques, courtesy of Institut économique Molinari The future is particularly worrying for French society. Companies, suffocated by extraordinary taxation and finicky regulations, have structural competitiveness problems. The previous crises have left their mark, with abnormally high unemployment. The coronavirus strikes a weak economy. In the first […]
Canadian consumers would pay price for digital tax
“Taxing the tech giants: Canadian consumers and businesses will pay the price” Courtesy of MEI/IEDM During the last federal election campaign, all parties promised to raise taxes on the digital giants. Although this is on ice awaiting the conclusion of OECD discussions on the matter, the idea is still present in the public […]
Franco-German relationship needs a reboot
“Rebooting Franco-German cooperation” By Sophie Pornschlegel, courtesy of EPC The alliance between France and Germany has significantly deteriorated in 2019, with little to no hope for improvement in 2020. They have no one to blame but themselves: Germany has shown a lack of ambition and vision in European policy, while Macron made tactical errors with […]
France shows the results of 50 years of short-term politics, statism
“Why did France choose unemployment and debt?” By Patrick Aulnas, courtesy of Contrepoints For half a century, France has made an implicit choice: mass unemployment and public debt . The two elements are linked because the size of the state weighs heavily on the economy and harms its dynamism. Hyper-regulation and massive taxes hamper the functioning […]
French pharmacists paid not to dispense drugs?
“Pharmacists Paid for Not Delivering Prescription Drugs?” By Phoebe Ann Moses, courtesy of Contrepoints Will pharmacists soon be paid for not dispensing prescription drugs from the doctor’s prescription? That’s what seems to be under discussion right now between pharmacists’ unions and health insurance. The doctors would be deprived of their authority to […]
Don’t give up on EU enlargement, or reform, Monsieur le Presidént!
“Letter to Macron: Details matter for enlargement reform” By Corina Stratulat and Milena Lazarevic, courtesy of EPC Dear President Macron,You are right! A renewed approach to the European Union (EU)’s enlargement towards the Balkans is necessary to help the countries of the region break with their troubled histories and break through the gates of accession. […]
Advancing Free Markets in Populist Times
By Iain Murray and Johan Norberg “National conservatism” is the flavor of the month, it seems. Recent European elections have seen parties that espouse big government and nationalism gain ground in both Poland and Germany – and the Polish government has duly announced a bigger role for the state in the economy. In the […]
“A European pillar in NATO is overdue”
“After the EU elections: Perspectives and priorities for 2019-2024” By Herman Van Rompuy, courtesy of the EPC EPC President Herman Van Rompuy delivered the following speech at the EPC Annual Conference on 6 November 2019 in Brussels. I want to talk to you today about European unity, European sovereignty and the future […]
No, taxing the rich really doesn’t work
By Nicolas Lecaussin, courtesy of IREF and Contrepoints California is becoming the new France. Here we prefer the poor to the rich, and we do everything to tax and punish the well-off. Except it turns out it doesn’t work in California either — in fact it even has the opposite effect. In 2012, […]