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In Point of Fact |
from NewsLink, Vol. 3, No. 4, Summer 1999
The new e-world order
USA Today, June 22, 1999.
Want a miracle? Do like the Irish!
Canadian Prime Minister Jean ChrŽtien wandered unarmed into the middle of the Irish `'economic miracle'' recently and immediately found himself immersed in a debate over corporate tax rates in Canada. After a morning meeting with Prime Minister Bertie Ahern, ChrŽtien listened uneasily as the Irish leader touted low corporate taxes as the tonic that has powered the phenomenal growth of an economy that has gone from basket case to juggernaut. . . `'The success of our economy is that we have improved our competitiveness,'' Ahern said. Canadian corporate tax rates. . . average 38% compared to the Irish rate of 14%.
Tim Harper, Toronto Star, June 15, 1999.A tough estate to hoe
Droughts, failed crops and out-of-state competitors aren't the only things weighing on the minds of Bay State farmers these days. Farmers and agricultural experts say an increasing number of farmers are grappling with hefty federal estate taxes, with some tax bills so high the farmers' heirs are forced to sell off all or part of the land. The federal government assesses property for the estate tax—a tax paid upon inheritance of property that ranges from about 30% to 55%—according to the fair market value of the land. In other words, the property is assessed at the higher value it has to developers rather than its value as farmland.
Roberta Holland, Boston Business Journal, May 31, 1999.High tax rates, low expectations
The most immediate penalties for [failing to cut taxes] lie in the political sphere. Tax disillusionment is a big part of voter disillusionment. It shows up in declining voter-turnout rates, in the fact that fewer people check the “presidential election campaign” box on their 1040s, and in the polls that show declining faith in government. Voters have learned that government often promises serious tax relief, but rarely delivers it.
Amity Shlaes, The New Republic, August 9, 1999.The new math, smaller class size doesn't add up
Even as the education establishment crusades for smaller class sizes in America's public schools, evidence is surfacing that students in such classes score only slightly better in math than students in larger classes. Interestingly, for students in ten nations abroad, small class size has the opposite or no effect on math scores. The findings, by Suet-ling Pong, an associate professor of education and sociology at Pennsylvania State University, come even as President Clinton is pushing a program to cut class size by hiring 100,000 more teachers for public schools in the U.S. “The perception in the U.S. is that small classes are better,” Mr. Pong said. “While this [finding] is tentative support for reducing class size to promote higher achievement, the effect is very small. When we look at other countries, we do not find the same results.” Class size made little difference in math performance in Canada, Germany, Iceland, South Korea, and Singapore.
Christian Science Monitor, August 10, 1999.
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