Stephen Hayward’s post at Power Line offering a “conservative case for higher taxes” has gotten some attention. Hayward says that the effort (if indeed there has been an effort) to control the growth of government by starving it of revenue has failed. That point, I’ll have to concede.
But he goes on to say that a more effective way to control the growth of government is to make sure people feel its cost by presenting them with the bill. That is, by raising taxes.
I agree that people should feel the cost of the government. But I really think Hayward is making an argument not for raising taxes, but for a balanced budget requirement. Currently taxes are spending are entirely uncoupled, and tax hikes in isolation will do nothing to correct that.
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