Government Spending Is the Real Tax; Deficits Are a Sideshow

Government Spending Is the Real Tax; Deficits Are a Sideshow
An employee of a bank counts U.S. dollar notes at a branch in Hanoi, Vietnam, on May 16, 2016. Kham/Reuters
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Commentary 

Many economists believe that during an economic slump, government should run large budget deficits in order to keep the economy going with increases in government outlays, with the consequent budget deficit giving individuals more disposable money. This, in turn, will result in an increase in consumer spending that will lift the economy’s gross domestic product (GDP) by a multiple of the increase in consumer expenditure.

Frank Shostak, Ph.D., is an associated scholar of the Mises Institute. His consulting firm, Applied Austrian School Economics, provides in-depth assessments and reports of financial markets and global economies. He has taught at the University of Pretoria and the Graduate Business School at Witwatersrand University.
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