Category: Uncategorized

Micheál Collins of the Nevin Institute is out with a new paper looking at the burden of taxation by income decile by tax-type, and the results are very interesting. From the piece:

Using data from the most recent Household Budget Survey, this paper estimates both the direct and indirect taxation contributions of households. The paper examines, individually and collectively, the direct and indirect tax paid by households across the income deciles, alongside the overall average household contributions. The data is presented at the households and equivalised adult level.

This chart summarises the findings nicely.

Update: Micheál has responded to many of the main points raised in the thread here.

Marcel Fratzscher writes in the FT here.

The new issue of F&D is here : it features an array of articles to mark the 50th anniversary of F&D (and 70th anniversary of the Bretton Woods institutions).

Martin Sandbu writes on the tension between “greater integration” and “less integration” among member countries here.

This book by Liaquat Ahamed (with photos by Eli Reed) provides a “behind the scenes” narrative of how the IMF operates, including a substantial section on its role in the Irish crisis.  It is an unusual book, with lots of photos (it is not possible to buy an e-book version) and is collaboration between Writers in Residence,  Visual Editions and Magnum Photos.

One interesting passage on page 111 (as part of the book’s coverage of the role of Ashoka Mody):

“During the annual review in 2009, and again in early 2010, Mody urged Lenihan to take advantage of the IMF’s credit facilities and borrow pre-emptively. Mody saw this both as a way of shoring up Ireland’s finances and using the IMF imprimatur to bolster foreign confidence in Ireland. But both times, either Lenihan was not himself persuaded, or he was unable to convince his cabinet colleagues.”