We need lower taxes

Rodney Hide has predicted that ACT will be the only party promoting tax cuts in 2008.

Consider the following from Iceland which has become, according to the NCPA, the "nordic tiger";

In fact, the benefits of low taxes are already on full display in Iceland, which provides an almost perfect demonstration of the Laffer Curve, says the Journal:

* From 1991 to 2001, as the corporate-tax rate fell gradually to 18 percent from 45 percent, tax revenues tripled to 9.1 billion kronas (U.S. $135 million in today's exchange rate) from just above 3 billion kronas (U.S. $44.5. million).

* Since 2001, revenues more than tripled again to an estimated 33 billion kronas (U.S. $490 million) last year.

* Personal income-tax rates were cut gradually as well, to a flat rate of 22.75 percent this year from 33 percent in 1995; meanwhile, the economy averaged annual growth rates of about 4 percent over the past decade.

But Iceland's tax competition isn't sleeping, says the (Wall St) Journal:

* In addition to Eastern Europe's flat-tax movement, there is healthy rivalry from Switzerland, where individual cantons (territorial districts) can set their rates independently.

* Even Germany, once critical of tax-cutting, recently announced that it will cut its corporate-tax rate to just below 30 percent next year from the current rate of about 38 percent.