Episode 32 · 2020-08-20 · 48:01 · Original in Finnish
Taxation, the Laffer curve and Libera | Tere Sammallahti | Negotiator 32
Originally published as “#neuvottelija 32 - Verotus, Laffer ja Libera (Tere Sammallahti)”
Tere Sammallahti of the think tank Libera asks why Finnish tax debate always aims at the peak of the Laffer curve and never at collecting as little tax as possible. The conversation covers the problem of cherry-picked comparison periods in economic argument, the scale of transfers and Gini figures, a three-dimensional political coordinate system, universally binding collective agreements and the position of the non-unionised worker, and taxing externalities as a way to fund lower taxes on work.
Watch and listen
Key moments
- 00:00 — Why the debate always aims at the top of the Laffer curve
- 02:30 — Choosing comparison periods and what that proves
- 05:00 — Libera's pamphlets and independence from commissioned work
- 07:30 — The scale of the transfer mechanism and the net Gini
- 10:00 — Who distributes and to whom — inclusive or elite capture
- 12:30 — Laffer logic is ordinary market mechanics
- 15:00 — A three-dimensional political coordinate system
- 17:30 — Universally binding agreements and the non-unionised worker
- 20:00 — Compulsory collectives: healthcare, pensions, education
- 22:30 — Libertarianism as a term and universal insurance
- 25:00 — Transfers at EU level and the totalitarian axis
- 27:30 — Piketty, broadening the capital tax base and Laffer
- 30:00 — The social media illusion: 20,000 active tweeters are not the nation
- 32:30 — Paying tax and moving abroad — who is whose hostage
- 35:00 — The reception of the How Finland Can Be Saved pamphlet
- 37:30 — Think tanks, party discipline and self-censorship
- 40:00 — Deficits as the normal state and printing money
- 42:30 — Recovery fund money going to farm and regional subsidies
- 45:00 — Taxing externalities to fund lower taxes on work
- 47:30 — Closing and what comes next
Summary
Tere Sammallahti of the think tank Libera asks why Finnish tax debate always aims at the peak of the Laffer curve and never at collecting as little tax as possible. The conversation covers the problem of cherry-picked comparison periods in economic argument, the scale of transfers and Gini figures, a three-dimensional political coordinate system, universally binding collective agreements and the position of the non-unionised worker, and taxing externalities as a way to fund lower taxes on work.
Chapters
- 00:00 — Why the debate always aims at the top of the Laffer curve
- 02:30 — Choosing comparison periods and what that proves
- 05:00 — Libera’s pamphlets and independence from commissioned work
- 07:30 — The scale of the transfer mechanism and the net Gini
- 10:00 — Who distributes and to whom — inclusive or elite capture
- 12:30 — Laffer logic is ordinary market mechanics
- 15:00 — A three-dimensional political coordinate system
- 17:30 — Universally binding agreements and the non-unionised worker
- 20:00 — Compulsory collectives: healthcare, pensions, education
- 22:30 — Libertarianism as a term and universal insurance
- 25:00 — Transfers at EU level and the totalitarian axis
- 27:30 — Piketty, broadening the capital tax base and Laffer
- 30:00 — The social media illusion: 20,000 active tweeters are not the nation
- 32:30 — Paying tax and moving abroad — who is whose hostage
- 35:00 — The reception of the How Finland Can Be Saved pamphlet
- 37:30 — Think tanks, party discipline and self-censorship
- 40:00 — Deficits as the normal state and printing money
- 42:30 — Recovery fund money going to farm and regional subsidies
- 45:00 — Taxing externalities to fund lower taxes on work
- 47:30 — Closing and what comes next
Watch
The recording lives on the Neuvottelija channel: #neuvottelija 32 - Verotus, Laffer ja Libera (Tere Sammallahti). A Finnish edition of this episode is published at www.neuvottelija.fi.
People and topics
Guests: Tere Sammallahti
Topics: Ownership, Capital & Tax