Saturday, May 15, 2010

Tax and Spend Policies Threaten US, Europe; Misguided Policies Everywhere Threaten Global Growth

Although all eyes have been focused on the PIIGS in Europe (Portugal, Ireland, Italy, Greece, and Spain), and the CINN group in the US (California, Illinois, New York, New Jersey), tax and spend problems are everywhere you look, including Germany.

Please consider German Municipalities face €15-billion shortfall. http://www.thelocal.de/politics/20100514-27199.html

Germany’s local governments are slipping into their budget worst crisis since World War II, with total deficits of €15 billion forecast for this year, the German Association of Cities warned Friday.

The association’s president, Frankfurt Mayor Petra Roth, told the Frankfurter Rundschau that the dismal environment for tax revenues in 2009 meant a new record deficit was looming.

It would be €3 billion worse than previously thought, Roth said, and would nearly double the previous record deficits of 2003. Over the past year alone, municipalities had spent at least €7 billion more than they took in, she said.

“Our budgets are completely overstretched,â€