European Union

December 1, 2014

Ibl Index of Liberalizations 2014

The new edition of Istituto Bruno Leoni’s Index of Liberalizations ranks the UK as the most liberalized country in the EU-15, followed by the Netherlands and Sweden. The Index surveys a range of sectors, from energy and telecommunications to transport and insurance, ranking each of the EU-15 Member States relative to the one which scores highest.
March 1, 2014

Sin Taxes: the Examples of Alcohol and Tobacco

So‐called “sin” taxes are very much in fashion in France and elsewhere. With the aim of reducing “sinful” behaviour and financing the health care system, public authorities are planning to raise the tax load on alcohol and tobacco even higher.
March 1, 2014

The Government Debt Iceberg

Western governments have developed unfunded social insurance programmes where retiree benefits are paid for from the taxes of the working-age population. This means that an ageing population leads to 
rising expenditures that cannot be covered without increasing taxes on the young.
September 1, 2013

Facts and Analysis: An Integrated European Market for Card, Internet and Mobile Payments

Regulation, specifically Interchange Fee caps on credit and debit cards, would be especially harmful to consumers and new merchants or start-up businesses that rely on or are developing new innovative solutions for the e-commerce market.
September 1, 2013

Call to Reform Eu’s €7.5bn Ngo Budget

Brussels, 24 September – The European Union spends €7.5 billion a year on non-governmental organisations, even if some of them act against the public interest, according to a new report.
May 1, 2013

Work Longer, Live Healthier: The Relationship Between Economic Activity, Health, and Government Policy

Higher state pension ages are not only possible (given longer life expectancy) and desirable (given the fiscal costs of state pensions) but later retirement should, in fact, lead to better average health in retirement.
May 1, 2013

The Proof of the Pudding: Denmark’s Fat Tax Fiasco

Denmark’s fat tax remains the leading example of an ambitious anti-obesity policy being tested in the real world. The results failed to match the predictions of computer models and the failed experiment has since been largely swept under the carpet in public health circles.
November 1, 2012

Barriers to Prosperity – Developing Countries and the Need for Trade Liberalisation

Non-tariff barriers are an important impediment to trade for less developed countries. They need to be brought to the forefront of the trade debate if developing countries are to move into the export of higher value added products.
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