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Economics Roundup #5

Don't Worry About the Vase • 1836 implied HN points • 25 Feb 25
💰 Finance Economics Taxation Investment Debt Trade
  1. Many people believe that average tax rates and structures are unfair or ineffective. This could mean that policies need to evolve to better meet people's needs without creating high penalties for earning more.
  2. Trade barriers impact economic growth negatively, as they create higher costs in trade and limit opportunity for development across regions, both domestically and internationally.
  3. Access to credit can significantly influence people's financial wellbeing. If restrictions are placed on credit availability, it can harm those who are already struggling financially.

At least five interesting things: Nerdy economics edition (#54)

Noahpinion • 16529 implied HN points • 05 Dec 24
💼 Business Economics Taxation Health care Regulation Productivity
  1. The Destination-Based Cash Flow Tax (DBCFT) could help companies invest more and boost U.S. exports. It changes how corporate taxes work, making it easier for companies to grow and innovate.
  2. Construction productivity in the U.S. has been dropping, partly due to strict land-use regulations. These rules lead to smaller, less efficient construction firms, which impacts how quickly and effectively projects are completed.
  3. Not all so-called 'irrational' decisions people make are true mistakes; sometimes, it's just that the choices are too complex. We need to rethink how we view human decision-making in economics.

Top Links 640 Trump's taxes on blue-collar America. Palantir, Silicon Valley Mittelstand. Hershey's cocoa risk & art at war.

Chartbook • 429 implied HN points • 05 Feb 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Trade policy Taxation Economic issues Political Analysis Government
  1. Trump's trade policies are seen as unfairly taxing the US auto industry, impacting American workers.
  2. Palantir and similar companies represent a growing trend in tech that resembles a modern Mittelstand, focusing on niche markets.
  3. There are ethical and environmental concerns regarding Hershey's cocoa sourcing, reflecting larger global issues in trade and art during conflicts.

Strategic Funds

Points And Figures • 692 implied HN points • 05 Feb 25
💰 Finance Investment Economic Policy Taxation Cryptocurrency Government spending
  1. The idea of a Strategic Wealth Fund (SWF) and a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve (SBR) is seen as bad because they could go against individual freedoms and lead to misuse of taxpayer money.
  2. Government can't truly invest money; it can only spend what it collects from taxes or borrows. This means investments made by the government aren't genuine investments.
  3. Bitcoin is still mostly potential and hasn't proven its real-world value. Critics argue that despite years of development, it lacks practical uses in everyday life.
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We all deserve to be rich

Klement on Investing • 1 implied HN point • 21 Feb 25
💰 Finance Wealth Taxation Income Economics Social justice
  1. Rich people often believe they deserve their wealth and should pay less taxes, while poor people think wealthy individuals should pay more. This shows a big difference in attitudes based on personal wealth.
  2. When people become wealthy through effort, they feel they earned it and support lower taxes. Surprisingly, even those who get rich by luck, like winning a lottery, also argue for lower taxes on their wealth.
  3. After people become wealthy, they often stop considering ideas about sharing wealth or paying higher taxes. They tend to seek out information that supports their own views, ignoring arguments for helping those less fortunate.

DOGE Is What Happens When Trust In Government Hits Zero

QTR’s Fringe Finance • 62 implied HN points • 19 Feb 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Government Economy Debt Taxation Public Opinion
  1. Trust in government is at a low point, leading to rising interest in unconventional solutions like DOGE. Many people feel frustrated watching how tax money is spent and wonder if their money is being used wisely.
  2. Americans are concerned about the growing national debt and fiscal mismanagement. This situation has made many people question value for money from the government.
  3. There is a feeling that after years of mishandled finances, radical changes like DOGE might be a necessary wake-up call. While its methods may be messy, it highlights the need for accountability and reform in government spending.

Why I Left Norway

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 1553 implied HN points • 10 Dec 24
💼 Business Entrepreneurship Taxation Investment Startups Innovation
  1. High taxes in Norway, including a new unrealized gains tax, made it hard for entrepreneurs to keep their businesses profitable and maintain ownership. They struggled to balance their income with the need to pay these taxes.
  2. Many successful Norwegian entrepreneurs are leaving the country to escape burdensome taxes, and this trend is affecting the wealth distribution in Norway. A significant number of top taxpayers have relocated to protect their wealth.
  3. The situation in Norway reflects a troubling pattern where government policies may stifle innovation and entrepreneurship. This has created an environment where those who want to build businesses feel they have no choice but to move elsewhere.

Measuring Redistribution

David Friedman’s Substack • 224 implied HN points • 02 Feb 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Taxation Income Inequality Welfare state Economic Policy
  1. Measuring how much wealth is redistributed in society is complicated because people's incomes can change a lot over their lifetime. A person might be considered poor at one point and rich at another, which makes it hard to classify them in studies.
  2. Figuring out who actually pays taxes can be tricky. For example, corporate taxes affect not just shareholders but also employees and customers, so it’s hard to pin down who truly bears the burden of these taxes.
  3. The increase in income inequality might come from factors outside of government policies. Things like changes in job value over time or how people marry within their social class can affect overall wealth distribution.

Hong Kong's death has been exaggerated

Asian Century Stocks • 471 implied HN points • 11 Feb 24
💰 Finance Investing Economy Markets Taxation Companies
  1. Investor sentiment in Hong Kong is currently negative, but the perception of the city changing or dying may be misplaced due to its advantages like low taxes, currency stability, and efficient infrastructure.
  2. Despite economic struggles in China, Hong Kong's economy is recovering with tourist returns, retail sales growth, and positive net migration, with potential for lower interest rates in the future.
  3. Hong Kong remains vital in Asia, benefiting from low taxes, reliable legal system, and financial hub status, even amidst challenges like interest rate impact and risks from geopolitics and National Security Law.

❄️ 🐣 Comment investir l'épargne des enfants ?

Snowball • 825 implied HN points • 14 Sep 23
💰 Finance Investment Children Taxation Stocks Personal Finance
  1. Consider investing children's savings in the stock market for long-term growth potential.
  2. Opening a brokerage account in your name to hold ETFs or stocks for your child and then gifting it to them can be a tax-efficient way to invest for their future.
  3. Ensure to handle legal aspects like declaring the donation to the tax authorities and consider equal distribution among multiple children to avoid inheritance disputes.

Democrats Want to Tax Unrealized Gains, Badly

Points And Figures • 799 implied HN points • 04 Mar 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Legislation Political parties Taxation Government oversight Ideology
  1. Democrats are pushing to tax unrealized capital gains, which has sparked debate and concern about overreach in government interference in private business.
  2. There is dissatisfaction with both Republican and Democratic parties for their roles in supporting legislation that may infringe on individual business privacy and rights.
  3. The issue of government overreach and control extends beyond tax policies, as political motivations and power dynamics play a significant role in the push for increased transparency in private ownership.

3 Ways out of our "Fiscal Death Spiral."

cryptoeconomy • 707 implied HN points • 08 Jul 23
💰 Finance Debt Inflation Taxation Government spending Economy
  1. There are 3 ways to escape the fiscal crisis: reduce spending, raise taxes heavily, or resort to printing more money.
  2. The increasing debt and interest payments are approaching unsustainable levels, potentially leading to historic inflation rates.
  3. Regardless of the chosen path, the final destination seems to be inflation as the most likely outcome of the fiscal crisis.

How SP culture produces financial crisis

America in Crisis • 59 implied HN points • 01 Jul 24
💰 Finance Financial Crisis Economic Growth Corporate Profits Capitalism Taxation
  1. Financial crisis can stem from a shift in profit usage from investment to financial market growth, impacting economic growth.
  2. SP culture, focusing on shareholder returns through stock buybacks and dividends, can lead to financial instability and economic downturns.
  3. Minsky's financial instability hypothesis outlines how capitalist economies can transition from safe to risky financial structures, culminating in financial crises.

Why I don’t think neoliberalism is over

America in Crisis • 79 implied HN points • 10 Jun 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Neoliberalism Regulation Taxation Inequality Economy
  1. Neoliberalism post-1980 may not be defined by changes in regulation, but rather by tax policy, specifically tax cuts on high income individuals.
  2. The focus on shareholder primacy in economic culture has led to high executive compensation, stock buybacks, and low enterprise premium since Reaganomics, shaping the kind of capital growth favored in the economy.
  3. The decline in worker power, rise of inequality, and other neoliberal characteristics are tied to tax policies and economic culture, indicating that neoliberalism is still ongoing despite claims of its end.

Inflation is Bad, Actually

Economic Forces • 7 implied HN points • 30 Jan 25
💰 Finance Inflation Macroeconomics Price theory Taxation Economic Policy
  1. Some people think inflation is good because it helps prevent deflation, but this argument is weak. Deflation can be harmful mainly when caused by poor policies, not just by falling prices.
  2. Inflation is often compared to a hidden tax because it decreases the value of money. Unlike regular taxes, people might not realize their purchasing power is being reduced until they feel the effects.
  3. Overall, inflation can create confusion and make economic decisions harder. It undermines the value of money as a reference point, leading to more mistakes and inefficiencies in both personal and business finances.

How Low Wages Made Japan A Deficit Addict

Japan Economy Watch • 339 implied HN points • 07 Dec 23
💰 Finance Economy Government Income Investment Taxation
  1. Low wages in Japan lead to decreased consumer purchasing power, causing a need for government intervention through deficit spending.
  2. Household income in Japan has been declining over the years, affecting consumer spending and economic growth.
  3. Government deficits in Japan are used to finance consumer spending and support the economy due to stagnant wages and decreased savings.

Richest 1% took 2/3rds of global wealth since 2020 - twice as much as 99% of population earned

Geopolitical Economy Report • 518 implied HN points • 18 Jan 23
🌍 World Politics Wealth Inequality Taxation Economic System Climate change
  1. Since 2020, the wealthiest 1% of the world's population took nearly two-thirds of new wealth, significantly more than the rest of the population.
  2. Global poverty is worsening while the very richest individuals continue to amass huge amounts of wealth, creating an alarming level of inequality.
  3. Oxfam's report highlights the need for governments to increase taxes on the rich, invest in social services, and address the economic systems that benefit the wealthy.

The Beveridge curve and cultural evolution

America in Crisis • 99 implied HN points • 16 Apr 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Economic Policy Labor Market Inflation Taxation Government spending
  1. Beveridge curves show the relationship between job vacancies and unemployment rates, highlighting changes in the labor market over time.
  2. Economic policies, such as tax laws and deficit spending, can impact factors like wages and inflation, influencing the overall economic environment.
  3. Cultural evolution in business practices is influenced by economic conditions and government policies, shaping the economy and labor market dynamics.

What’s Deadweight Loss?

Something to Consider • 19 implied HN points • 31 Jul 24
💰 Finance Economics Trade Market Monopoly Taxation
  1. Deadweight loss happens when goods that could have been produced and sold efficiently are not. It means losing out on potential benefits to both sellers and buyers.
  2. This loss can occur in situations like monopolies where one seller controls the market and prices goods higher than in a competitive market.
  3. Taxes can also create deadweight loss by making some products too expensive to produce, which leads to fewer goods being available for consumers.

A sucuri aperta o abraço

O Observador de Corcyra • 275 implied HN points • 13 Nov 23
🌍 World Politics Reform Taxation Federalism Economic Development Legislation
  1. The reform on regional development attached to the tax reform intensifies the extraction of income from society towards regional groups outlined in the 1988 Constitution.
  2. The new tax levied through the reform merges five indirect taxes, creating the largest tax of its kind globally, aiming to increase productivity and reduce tax disputes in Brazil.
  3. The approval of the reform will centralize fiscal autonomy in states, limiting their ability to adjust tax rates based on economic needs and creating additional federal transfer funds, perpetuating income extraction from more developed to less developed regions.

Constitutionalizing the Private Property Order

The Redneck Intellectual by C. Bradley Thompson • 314 implied HN points • 14 Feb 23
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Constitution Property Rights Government Power Taxation
  1. America's revolutionary era brought about innovative constitutional thinking in the realm of individual rights and the relationship between individuals and government.
  2. The concept of self-ownership was strongly upheld by the founding generation, with property rights viewed as absolute and a primary responsibility of government was to protect those rights.
  3. The founding generation emphasized the need to limit government powers to protect private property and contracts, institutionalize due process, and prevent abuse such as bills of attainders and ex post facto laws.

There Are Three Ways to Get Rid of Inflation. One Is "Impossible" and One Will Destroy the Country.

Surviving Tomorrow • 314 implied HN points • 18 May 23
💰 Finance Inflation Taxation Wealth Distribution Monetary Policy Economic Theory
  1. Inflation impacts different groups differently: savers punished, poor robbed, debtors rewarded.
  2. Eradicating inflation can be done by destroying the working class, taxing the rich, or creating anti-inflation money.
  3. Anti-inflation money involves investing in new assets, taxing back excessive money, and destroying it for common well-being.

Stop Weapons of Mass Deception

Diane Francis • 639 implied HN points • 09 Feb 23
💰 Finance Corruption Taxation Wealth Inequality Money Laundering Legislation
  1. Financial secrecy allows wealthy individuals and corporations to hide their money, making the rich richer and increasing inequality. This harms democracy and pushes resources away from public services.
  2. Countries and financial institutions often enable tax evasion and money laundering by providing loopholes and anonymity to the wealthy, which impacts economies everywhere.
  3. To fix these issues, reforms are needed to increase transparency, ban anonymous financial vehicles, and hold enablers accountable, especially in the growing realm of cryptocurrencies.