Education freedom in India
If ya’ll were thinking about donating to a charity but don’t want to donate to Oxfam (because they’re anti-free trade) or Amnesty International (because they’re anti self-defence), then consider sending money to the School Choice Campaign in India instead. The campaign is run by the libertarian Centre for Civil Society (CCS) and gives poor kids a chance to escape from wretched government schools by offering them an education voucher redeemable at a school of their choice. The CCS doesn’t accept any government funds, which means it’s a genuine independent non-governmental organisation. And the President of the Centre, Parth Shah, is a supporter of free-markets and individual liberty from way back.
In related news:- My father, Sanjeev Sabhlok, has written a book where he talks about how a voucher program could work in India. He also draws on his economics and civil service background to suggest a range of other reforms that will help India’s 250 million people who live below the poverty line. The book, tentatively called Breaking Free of Nehru, is being published by Anthem Press later this year, and basically argues the case in favour of discarding India’s socialist past. I will post more info in a few months…
Church clerks to keep tax perks
Apparently the Rudd government doesn’t think that some nice people should have to pay the same taxes as the rest of us. And the reason is simple because these nice people are also really good people. I’m all for taxing people less (even nice people) but this does kind of smell a little like dead fish.
The federal government has taken steps to address a controversial change to the fringe benefits tax (FBT) which would have seen charity workers lose up to $100 a fortnight.
Under changes introduced by the former Howard government, special rules exempting salary sacrifice packages from FBT would have been scrapped.
Families Minister Jenny Macklin on Thursday night said the government would move amendments in the Senate next week to reverse the changes.
Backroom Girl calls a spade a spade and looks at how the numbers stack up to allow welfare workers to receive a bigger personal slice of the government welfare pie. As she infers this is indeed rank hypocrisy.
I got a letter from the IRS today
By Robert Higgs
Well, the letter was actually addressed to me and my wife. The IRS people are great believers in family values, and my wife and I are what the tax collectors affectionately refer to as joint filers. It’s all pretty warm and fuzzy, in a creepy sort of way.
Anyhow, the letter was not nearly as bad as usual. It informed us that the government, acting under authority of the Economic Stimulus Act of 2008, would soon be sending us $1,200. Usually it’s the other way around, and the agency’s letter invites us to send it more of our money than we have already sent. Well, we understand, of course: when the government identifies someone who deserves to get our money more than we deserve to keep it, simple justice requires that we pass it along to KBR (formerly Kellogg Brown & Root), Lockheed Martin, and other widows or orphans. Besides, if we kept the money, we’d probably just end up wasting it, whereas the Department of Defense watches every cent with an eagle eye. Ditto for Health and Human Services. We don’t call those people “public servants” for nothing; they really put their hearts into their jobs.
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Catallaxy Files- Open Forum: February 11, 2012 February 10, 2012 Sinclair Davidson
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