- Call for Sunshine Week: "Just Give Us The Earmark Data" (CFA Site »)
- PA-12 Special Election Update: Tim Burns Signs the Taxpayer Protection Pledge
- How Government Accounting Works
- ATRF Analysis: The Importance of International Tax Competition
- How Tax Preparation "Simplification" Will Lead to Tax Hikes
- GAO: Implementation of Coburn-Obama Still Lacking in Some Areas (CFA Site »)
Monday, March 15, 2010
- Latest Developments In The Fight To Stop A Govt Internet Takeover
- State of Illinois Launches Sunshine Portal (CFA Site »)
- China Buys Our Debt, We Give Them Renewable Energy Stimulus Jobs...Seems About Right
- ATR Urges Governor McDonnell to Sign Bill to Abolish State Run Tax Preparation
- Saving the Sea Turtles...But at What Cost? (PRA Site »)
- Craig Miller Signs Taxpayer Protection Pledge in FL-24
- Next Week is Sunshine Week! (CFA Site »)
- The Economics of #StimulusFail
- Missouri Unions and Andy Stern on the Same Page: Raise Taxes (AWF Site »)
- Obamacare, Free Trade, & Our Economic Prosperity
Friday, March 12, 2010
- Rusty Bowers Signs the Taxpayer Protection Pledge for AZ-01 Race
- Ask Your Virginia Legislator to Vote "NO" on Any Budget Containing Higher Taxes
-
ATR Supports H.R. 4781, the
"Keeping American Businesses
Competitive Act of 2010" - Stimulus Dollars Are Taking You for A Ride - On Greyhound Buses (CFA Site »)
- Ronald Reagan Legacy Project Urges Naming of California High School After Reagan
- Democrats Attempt to Subvert Congress in Hopes of Carbon Regulation
- Economic Issues Dominate at the Bloggers Briefing
- Pushback Against EPA’s Attempts to Regulate Carbon Emissions Grows
- Minnesota Gubernatorial Candidate Running on a Platform of Tax Hikes
Thursday, March 11, 2010
- Michigan Jobs Ain't What They Used To Be...Unless You Work For The Government
- ATR and CFA Support Earmark Moratorium
- Voter Fraud in the Name of Tax Hikes
- Ballooning Deficits in Greece Foreshadowing Future for the U.S.? (ASA Site »)
- Green Jobs FAIL
- The Evergreen Tax and Fee Spree
- ATR Staffer Testifies Before U.S. House Energy & Commerce Select Committee
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
- The endemic rot in government run health care
- The Debt Panel's 800-lb. Gorilla: Why Andy Stern Stands Out
- The Left Agree: Obamacare Ushers In Their Radical Ideological Agenda
- We Ought Focus On Cutting Taxes & Spending, Not Deficits
- The Debt Panel's 800-lb. Gorilla (AWF Site »)
-
Does the Obamacare Investment Surtax
Apply to Capital Gains? - ATR Urges Opposition to Sen. Isakson Pension Bailout
- Taxpayers to Legislators: Clean Virginia Budget of Taxes
- ATR Supports the Georgia JOBS Act
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
- ATR Urges Utah Governor Herbert to Veto Tax Increase
- More on the VAT
- Public Sector Jobs
- How 550,000 jobs were destroyed by the minimum wage hike
- How Obamacare Will Hurt Poor Women & Children Most
- Federal Workers Make $11,000 More Than Private Sector Workers, and There’s More of Them (AWF Site »)
Monday, March 8, 2010
- Legislation Introduced to Put Ronald Reagan on the $50 Bill
- Pledge Signer Wins Illinois Republican Gubernatorial Primary
- "Net Neutrality" To Kill Jobs
- NY Supreme Court Votes to Evict Residents and Close Businesses (PRA Site »)
- California US Senate Candidates Square Off in First Debate
Friday, March 5, 2010
- ATR and CFA Support the Spending Limit Amendment
- Utah Representative Breaks Tax Pledge
- AWF Will Rate Vote on House Jobs Bill (AWF Site »)
- Energy Tax Hike Series: Use it or Lose it Tax
Thursday, March 4, 2010
- The reliability of spending "estimates"
- Utah State Senator Tries to Sweeten Tax Hike with Pork
- Obama Administration Makes Attempt to Seize Millions of Acres Across America (PRA Site »)
- More "Stimulus" Boondoggles - Social Engineering and Lobbying for Higher Taxes
- Energy Tax Hike Series: Raises Taxes on Tertiary Injectants
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
- Is This Reality or a Science Fiction Dystopia?
- Andy Stern Update: US Attorney Reviewing Case & Obama Appoints Stern to Debt Panel
- Texans: Do You Know Which Candidates Have Signed the Taxpayer Protection Pledge?
- AWF Asks White House to Take Position on Andy Stern Investigation After Appointment to Debt Panel (AWF Site »)
- AWF Continues Andy Stern Investigation (AWF Site »)
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
- Energy Tax Hike Series: Superfund Tax Reinstated
Monday, March 1, 2010
Want Happiness? Cut Taxes!
From Tim Andrews on Friday, January 8, 2010 1:06 PMSince the rising prosperity brought about by economic freedom, with increased growth, increased living standards, and more jobs around the world, didn't exactly fit the left-wing narrative, some leftist commentators have changed track. Instead of talking about the economy, they talk about 'happiness'. "Yes" they say "we might be more wealthy, but we're unhappy".
Well, we can now happily tell the left to worry no more - because if you want to make people happier, then cut taxes! The fact that high taxes make people unhappy isn't exactly rocket science. I mean, if the government takes money away from someone who earned it, and gives it to someone who didn't (taking 20% in bloated perks for itself in the process), the person who earned the money is bound to be annoyed. This is tax refugees are fleeing high-taxing states in droves.
But earlier this week, a new study as proven conclusivly what we have been saying all along - controlling for all other factors, living in a high taxing state makes you statistically significantly more unhappy than living in a low tax state.
Using data from the 2005-2008 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System and a 2003 economics paper examining quality-of-life indicators, economists regressed the subjective measure of well-being (how people rate their satisfaction) against the objective measure (states' quality-of-life rankings based on compensating differentials).
The findings as to why some people are happy, and some are unhappy?
High taxes seem to be a big reason---ostensibly an even bigger reason than weather given that California is one of the unhappiest states and inclement Louisiana is the happiest. Further, considering how much New York's crime rate has dropped and schools have improved in the last decade, taxes seem to overwhelm even these two critical factors in the happiness equation. According to the Tax Foundation 2008 analysis, three of the top five unhappiest states—New York, Connecticut and New Jersey—have the highest state-local tax burdens. On the other hand, four of the top five happiest states—Louisiana, Florida, Tennessee and Arizona—are among the states with the lowest state-local tax burdens
As the article concludes, taxes may not be the root of all unhappiness, but they do result in some very sad citizens. So the way to happiness is precisely what we've been saying all along - CUT TAXES!
Related Articles
ATRF Analysis: The Importance of International Tax Competition - Monday, March 15, 2010 11:24 AM
How Tax Preparation "Simplification" Will Lead to Tax Hikes - Monday, March 15, 2010 11:04 AM
China Buys Our Debt, We Give Them Renewable Energy Stimulus Jobs...Seems About Right - Friday, March 12, 2010 4:24 PM
Urge Gov. McDonnell to Privatize Tax Preparation and Filing - Friday, March 12, 2010 4:20 PM
ATR Urges Governor McDonnell to Sign Bill to Abolish State Run Tax Preparation - Friday, March 12, 2010 4:00 PM













Comments
This article is funny and may have some truth to it, I would like to this topic pursued more aggressivley. I'm not necessarily sure that taxes are exactly to blame. Maybe it's the police state or the liberals that are making people unhappy. Then again those two things are associated with taxes.
>> Steve Rogers Friday, January 8, 2010 1:31 PM
States First - I think the only way we will benefit from our taxes is if we see the money. Why do we pay our Federal taxes, and wait for the funds to trickle back to us after the Feds have used the majority of it for their crazy programs? I say that the ONLY way to get the Federal Government back in line with the Constitution is to reverse this process. Pay all Federal Taxes to the States. These funds would then be passed to the Federal government AFTER we have made sure that they will use it in line with our wishes. Is this a crazy idea? It seems to be the only sensible thing to do in light of the out of control spending our Federal Government has done in recent decades.
>> Jim Saturday, January 9, 2010 2:04 PM