The ruling elite in France had this brilliant idea -- let's raise the taxes on the rich people.
Never heard of the Laffer Curve and events played out as you can well imagine. From Mary Katharine Ham writing at Hot Air:
Bad news: France in $14b euro hole after overestimating the haul from that swell 75% millionaire tax
Overly sunny tax revenue predictions are not a problem unique to socialists, but you can see how those who adhere to an ideology that refuses to admit to basic human nature and the economic downsides of ludicrous tax rates might fall more dramatically than most. Timber:The French government faces a 14bn-euro black hole in its public finances after overestimating tax income for the last financial year.
French President Francois Hollande has raised income tax, VAT and corporation tax since he was elected two years ago.
The Court of Auditors said receipts from all three taxes amounted to an extra 16bn euros in 2013.
That was a little more than half the government’s forecast of 30bn euros of extra tax income.
The Court of Auditors, which oversees the government’s accounts, said the Elysee Palace’s forecasts of tax revenue in 2013 were so wildly inaccurate that they cast doubt on its forecasts for this year.
It added the forecasts were overly optimistic and based on inaccurate projections.
Unintended consequences writ large. If you cut the taxes, business owners will invest more money and the economy will skyrocket. This has worked every time it has been tried.
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