Monthly Archives: May 2005

The Caring Tax: Why Do We Rate Minding Sheep Ahead Of Raising Children?

This entry was posted in Listener, Social Policy on by .

Listener: 21 May, 2005.

Keywords: Regulation & Taxation; Social Policy;

There is no consensus as to whether mothers should or should not go out to paid work and put their young children into childcare. The research says that it depends on family circumstances and the availability of care, together with the culture of the society. The policy conclusion must be that we should leave the decision to the primary carer and her or his family. But if we pursue a strategy of such neutrality, we should ensure that other aspects of public policy do not bias the family decision.

Should We Rename the Marsden Fund?

This entry was posted in Miscellaneous on by .

Revised version of a letter to Royal Society Alert 374, 20 May, 2005

Keywords: Miscellaneous;

I am a fortunate recipient of a grant from the Marsden Fund, administered by the RSNZ, fortunate because there are so many deserving researching who are missing out because of the limited funds. My good fortune has led me to recognise a problem with the Fund’s name.

Globalisation and the Public Health

This entry was posted in Globalisation & Trade, Health on by .

For Annual Conference of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians, 10 May 2005.

Keywords: Globalisation & Trade; Health;

Introduction

The Royal Society of New Zealand has awarded me a grant from the Marsden Fund to study globalisation. The ultimate output will be a book. Today I want to set out the economists’ framework for thinking about globalisation, and to use it to consider the problem of alcohol control and the interaction between countries.

Taxing Spending: Should We Think About Introducing a Progressive Expenditure Tax

This entry was posted in Listener, Regulation & Taxation, Retirement & Savings on by .

Listener: 7 May, 2005.

Keywords: Regulation & Taxation;

I have long been intrigued by Nicholas Kaldor’s proposal for an Expenditure Tax. Instead of taxing income: what one puts into the economy, why not tax expenditure: what one takes out? Should not those on the same income who can live more frugally pay less tax than the profligate? (Can I hear you saying, “Easton, you are a puritan”? I plead guilty, but am also attracted for environmental reasons.) As Kaldor points out, advocates for such a tax have included Thomas Hobbes, John Stuart Mill, Alfred Marshall and Irving Fisher, which shows that supporting it is not a matter of being politically left or right.