After a recent TV address of Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili, it became known that the state’s efforts in 2014 and the coming years will be focused on the implementation of an import replacement policy. According to the prime minister: “it is a shame when imports account for 80% of the net export structure.”
Intra-budgetary redistribution of the Personal Income Tax in Lithuania is aimed at providing financial support for economically weaker municipalities. The present analysis is aimed at measuring level differences of intra-budgetary redistribution of the Personal Income Tax across municipalities as well as identifying the major problems created by this process.
Under the European Charter of Local Self-Government, the internal administrative structure and the resources of the governments should correspond to the needs of the local population as well as ensure effective governance. However, statistical data shows the growth of municipal bureaucracy despite demographic decline.
Following 2014 reforms, municipalities allocate social allowances by performing municipal, rather than the state function. This reform was aimed at achieving more transparent and targeted social benefit allocation process by decreasing the volume of improper or inappropriate payments.
Ageing of the Polish society means that every year more and more people will reach the retirement age. At the same time, the number of people of working age will be decreasing. In this context, it appears that the pension system reform implemented in 1999 introduced a not very fortunate principle to the Polish pension system.
On June 13, 2015, the Slovenes celebrated the Tax Freedom Day – a day the Slovenes stopped working for the government and actually started earning icome for themselves. The “holiday“ illustrates how much taxes do the Slovenes pay each year.
Demographic change is not a tsunami. It proceeds gradually but steadily, just as the ocean’s tide. It can be foreseen if we simply choose to open our eyes and look at facts.
I don’t think that the youth want revolution. In these unstable times they rather want stability that no longer favours the mainstream populism, not taking responsibility for the future of the state, unkept promises and embarassing U-turns (career-like as well). Stability in which the political class is not moving further away from the reformatory attitude in the state of constant self-contempt.
Free market institutions and individual liberty promote economic development and human resilience to a changing climate. So far, coercive and centrally planned regulation induced by climate change alarmism delivered a disappointing outcome.
On June 11-12, the Lithuanian Free Market Institute will host the Heritage Foundation representatives, who will meet with the Lithuanian government, politicians and business leaders to discuss Lithuania’s progress in the 2015 Index of Economic Freedom and reforms needed to further improve the country’s ratings.
