New LearnLiberty Video on How Taxing Corporations Means Taxing People

Steven Horwitz

Yup, I'm back.  This is the first of eight that should be released over the coming months.  Tax incidence may not be as sexy as Hugh Jackman, but I'm trying!

Comments

[Renaud Fillieule]

Very nice and timely video! It seems to me of a much better "cinematographic" quality than the other videos of the same kind, bravo.

[Barkley Rosser]

But of course taxing corporations is "taxing people." Does not everybody know by now that a corporation IS a person?

[Woj]

Great video!

Clearly attempting to raise taxes on corporations as a means of reducing income inequality is bound to fail. Leveling the playing field through corporate (and individual) tax reform is a far better option.

http://bubblesandbusts.blogspot.com/2012/05/steve-horwitz-how-taxing-corporations.html

[Mark]

Steve,

A nice video.

I would take it one step further. Corporate income taxes fall on either stockholders, employees or other suppliers, and/or customers. Since we know those who bear the incidence of a tax are those least able to avoid it, it won't fall equally among all those within the different groups.

Not all employees bear the incidence equally; it's more likely to fall on those employees with fewer employment opportunities elsewhere, including self-employment. This means that lower skilled and less motivated workers will take on more of the burden of an increase in corporate taxes.

Also, since the ease of moving capital across borders has made doing so less costly, it's the less astute shareholders who will bear the greater burden of a corporate tax increase. The more astute will already have reallocated their portfolios to dodge such increases, which means that again, the greater burden is likely to fall on the lower skilled and less educated investor.

Lastly, we know that if it affects prices, lower income people are more adversely affected since they consume a greater portion of their incomes and have fewer alternatives to avoid the tax.

[Roger Koppl]

Short, clean, correct. Well done, Steve.