"The tax burden in Ireland, as measured by the Forbes Misery Index is lower than most of the world. It gets a score of 90.3, lower than that of France 174.8, Germany ll7, the Unted Kingdom 111.3 and Canada lll.2....
Another popular measure of the tax burden in a country is by working out the total tax revenue as a percentage of GPP. By this measure Ireland comes out low with a score of 31.2% in 2003. This compares to 51.4% in Sweden, 49.4% in Denmark, 42% in the United Kingdom, 28.7% in Lithuania and 29% in Latvia. Ireland scores the 4th lowest in Europe." Source Wikipedia Taxation in the Republic of Ireland.
Meanwhile, with Bush-like constancy, the Washington Post is advocating raising sales, corporate, income and gasoline taxes on the 717 people in Montgomery County who suffered foreclosure from April to June of this year and the 2300 in Prince Georges County who filed for foreclosure in the first six months of 2007. Maybe we should send Donald Graham et. al. on a trip to Dublin!

how is this news?

"In early 2000, Ireland adopted a 10% corporate income tax on foreign companies. This policy has led to a economic-financial boom in Ireland that's envied by the tax-crazed Europeans. In l999, Ireland's equities had underperformed other European equities by 23%points (measured in U.S. dollars), but by 2001 they were outperforming those in Europe in 34%points. Ireland has been attracting entrepreneurs, foreign investment---and brains. It's now the largest exporter of software in the E.U. And today its unemployment rate is 3.8%, well below Britain's 5.1% and less than half the jobless rates of high-tax nations like Germany 9.6%, France 9.1% and Italy 9%." Source Richard Salsman in Capitalism Magazine.
Maryland need to be the first state in U.S. history to cut its sales tax rather than being part of the group-think Washington Post tqax increase coalition. The Post snidely pointed out that Maryland's state income tax rate is the same as that of Alabama. The paper also conveniently neglected to say that Maryland is like
Alabama in another way--they are two of only four states which do not elect at least one house of their state legislatures every 2 years. If we had a state election in 2008 we wouldn't even be talking about raising taxes. But if O'Malley raises them his role will be so prominent that voters will remember in 2010.

Maybe Robin should fly over to Ireland and protect those folks from the ravages of "Tax & Spend".

I saw O'Malley at the annual Bernie Fowler wade-in on Broomes Island this year. He was an OK speaker, but when surrounded by reporters asking really inane questions, he gave some stuttering and inane answers. How long will it take to clean up the Patuxent River? How much is it going to cost? Jeez, people, get a grip. This is a PR thing, not rocket science. I wasn't impressed.

This year Bernie's inches where he couldn't see his feet measured 21. Nothing was mentioned about the dozen or so kids splashing and paddling around the shoreline stirring up the sediment just before the wade=in. DUH! It would have been politicaly incorrect since only Democrats were in attendance.

If cutting the corporate income tax on foreign corporations to 10% worked in Ireland, why doesn't our Irish Governor do the same in our Old Line State?

I agree with the earlier poster, there is ZERO news in this posting. The world would be a better place if it had not occurred.

But it did, and Robin Ficker took the opportunity to jump on a bandwagon, and it seems to me, to scatter incomplete information far and wide.

Memo to Robin Ficker.

Please clean up your act. Selective statistics such as those you quoted from the Forbes Misery Index won't cut the mustard here. You claimed various numbers, which I've checked on the 2005 Forbes Misery Index, and the numbers you claim are correct.

The problem I have, is with the number you so conveniently OVERLOOKED, and did not quote, the one that effects YOU, ME, and MOST other readers of this blog the MOST.

That is, the misery index for the USA, which you IGNORED, and at 85, is lower than the misery index for Ireland at 90. In pushing the Irish model for Maryland, are you advocating for a tax increase, or do you have another plan? Robin, please explain yourself. What is your point?

I have neither the time nor interest in doing a Pepe le Moco on you, but I won't be shy about calling you on such slipshod work, and if necessary, indulging in a "Linda Lamone" moment. Shoddy legal work, shoddy economic analysis, where will it end? Got any bridges for sale?

didn't laura vozzella of the sun cover this earlier in the week? but mr. wagner, you sound just as swept away. between this and the duck story, wagner's on his way to a pulitzer/.