Net Neutrality, the Tax Code, and Food Safety

Net Neutrality

Yesterday, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski announced that the FCC will vote on proposed net neutrality rules on December 21.

Associate Director of Technology Studies Ryan Radia argues the FCC is overstepping its bounds.

“The net neutrality regime proposed by the FCC will endanger competition, innovation, network investment, and consumer welfare. While it may not have the same destructive potential as the FCC’s abandoned Title II reclassification proposal, this attempt to bar ‘unreasonable’ discrimination by Internet providers will place the Commission in dubious legal territory, as today’s broadband market is extremely competitive and growing more so all the time.”

Tax Code

Advocates for a return-free taxation system argue that shifting responsibility for tax returns from taxpayers to the IRS will simplify the process.

Fellow in Regulatory Studies Ryan Young says return-free taxation won’t simplify the tax code or reduce the cost of compliance.

“If anything, a return-free system would likely add to the cost of complying with the tax code. The IRS would need to collect a lot more information than it currently does. Stricter reporting requirements for employers and other third parties would cost at least $500 million, and as much as $5 billion, according to a study by Joseph Cordes of George Washington University and Arlene Holen of the Technology Policy Institute. Even if a return-free system were to save time and money, it would create other, bigger problems. One is the obvious conflict of interest in having your tax collector also act as your tax preparer.”

Food Safety

In a new CEI podcast, Senior Fellow Greg Conko talks about major provisions of the latest food safety bill.

Listen here.