taxation

September 16, 2020

Netherland’s Crackdown On E-cigarettes

The Netherlands is on the brink of introducing plain packaging for e-cigarettes. The only other country to have gone down that path is Israel. Not many countries have introduced plain packaging for tobacco products, let alone vaping products, because it doesn’t work. The Dutch government also plans to ban (non-tobacco) e-cigarette flavours.
September 15, 2020

Is Populism Endangering Economic Freedom?

Nationalism and populism have permeated the sphere of global politics in the 21st century, and the EU is no exception. This particular change in the political environment inevitably causes changes in economic policy, as populist leaders tend to increase governmental spending, focus on more protectionist policies, and raise trade barriers.
September 10, 2020

Labour Regulation in Europe During Covid-19

The regulation of labour and employment lies at the heart of any debate on economic freedom. State intervention into the labour market, and especially so-called ‘hiring and firing laws’, are crucial in shaping the degree to which employment can adjust to changing environments and react to crisis.
August 17, 2020

Maximum Taxation, Minimal Benefits for France

For the fifth consecutive year, France has been the champion of taxation, with the average French citizen paying more than half of their income into the state’s coffers. France’s tax policy remains inefficient and infringes upon the purchasing power of French employees, despite the slight decrease of overall taxation following the yellow vest protests.
July 1, 2020

“Next Generation EU” Spending Plan: Towards Strengthening or Weakening the EU in the Long Run?

While the media, right and left-wing parties and the average newspaper reader celebrate in anticipation of “helicopter money” from Brussels, or otherwise the so-called “Next Generation EU”, classical liberals wonder where all this money will come from while worrying about the potential impact on future generations.
June 29, 2020

The End of the Liberal International Order

If there seems to be any consensus among academics it is that the dominant Western liberal international order is coming to an end. With the arrival of Trump and the rise of China we must ask ourselves: which international order comes next?
June 23, 2020

The Issue at Stake Was Not to Choose Between Lives and the Economy

We often hear that managing a crisis like coronavirus depends on societal choices. The choice would be to save lives or economies. Health and economic data show that reality is much more complex than this simplification of the dilemma. Some countries have managed to accommodate both. Others, like France, have registered both a high mortality rate and a significant economic setback.
June 19, 2020

The Fake American Stimulation: an Economic Analysis of Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (Cares) Act

We almost pity American federal and state elected officials for having to deal with the situation caused by COVID-19. Overnight, social media users have become self-proclaimed epidemiologists, but it remains difficult to judge whether the measures taken by states and the federal government are too little too late or the right response to a health crisis. In some ways, it is tempting to favour the federal responses to the economic crisis as the circumstances are unlike those of previous crises.