Irish wealth grew with over 167% between 1984 and 2002. Average European wealth grew at less than a quarter of that pace. Irish industrial jobs increased with 35% in this period, while in the rest of Europe industrial employment caved in. While the rest of the world was booming, the European economy gradually slided into stagnation or even recession.

Why is Ireland so different? Why could Ireland devellop into the second most prosperous country of Europe in barely a half generation of time? The Irish socio-economic model is a perfect synthesis of the social welfare state and Anglosaxisch liberalism. Its model differs from the rest of Europe by its “fair tax system”: an optimal combination of MODERATE AND EFFICIENT GOVERNMENT SPENDING (35% of GDP) and A BALANCED REPARTITION of the TAX BURDEN between direct and consumption taxes.

The irish model provides the incentives for productive contribution, for dynamic entrepreneurship and a high participation rate. The Irish model is successful. Today Ireland meets the challenges of globalisation and the demographic time bomb. Ever more European countries adopt Irish policies, particularly in the East.

Also in England, France, Belgium, Holland and Germany could boost growth, job creation, and wealth by implementing the strategy of decreasing their demotivating taxation, and shifting the tax burden from income to consumption. Ireland showed that it can be done and that the strategy works. Where does one wait for?

More over the Irish success story, how and why can be found at following adresses:
(Dutch and Frensh versions now available at the same web site)

http://workforall.net/
http://workforall.net/EN_Tax_policy_for_growth_and_jobs.html
http://workforall.net/EN_Europe_direct_and_indirect_tax_burden.html
http://workforall.net/EN_Europe_social_security_sustainability.html

Cedric.
aka. Washu! ^O^

Hello and Welcome to the 108th Edition of the Carnival of the Vanities! I hope that while you browse this weeks entries that you will stay awhile and look around Conservative Dialysis. Be sure to visit the future editions listed…

A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largess from the public treasure. From that time on the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most benefits from the public treasure, with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy, always followed by a dictatorship. The average age of the world’s great civilizations has been 200 years.

These nations have progressed through this sequence:

From bondage to spiritual faith;
From spiritual faith to great courage;
From great courage to liberty;
From liberty to abundance;
From abundance to selfishness;
From selfishness to complacency;
From complacency to apathy;
From apathy to dependency;
From dependency to bondage.

Sir Alex Fraser Tytler (1742-1813)
Scottish jurist and historian

From his 1801 Collection of Lectures

Relevant News and Commentary Solid Jobs. Solid GDP. – Larry Kudlow, NRO America’s New Jingoes – George Gilder, WSJ An OPEC for Politicians? – D. Mitchell, Heritage The DeLay Ethics Case is Closed – Rep. Tom Feeney, NRO Bowling with…

Count me as one who is skeptical of John Kerry’s position that soaking the rich with more income taxes is the way to relieve middle class tax rates and to reduce the federal government’s deficit. Similarly, I am not particularly…

Count me as one who is skeptical of John Kerry’s position that soaking the rich with more income taxes is the way to relieve middle class tax rates and to reduce the federal government’s deficit. Similarly, I am not particularly…

Count me as one who is skeptical of John Kerry’s position that soaking the rich with more income taxes is the way to relieve middle class tax rates and to reduce the federal government’s deficit. Similarly, I am not particularly…

Coyote blog has a couple of intersting posts dealing with (1) “the unbelievable proportion of income taxes paid by a small percentage of people in this country” and (2) “a couple of truly regressive taxes where the rich really do