Property Rights Index, Brazil, and Labeling Mandates

Property Rights Index

Yesterday the Property Rights Alliance launched the 2011 International Property Rights Index.

Policy Analyst Marc Scribner explains why the U.S. has slipped to 18th place overall in the index.

“The biggest contributor to the U.S.’s reduced standing was in the Physical Property Rights category (real property), which accounted for nearly half of the year-over-year decline in points. The variables for this category are protection of physical property rights, property registration, and access to loans. It is here where one might be surprised by some of the countries who rank ahead of the U.S. (ranked 25th) in terms of real property rights: Bahrain (5th), Saudi Arabia (8th), Oman (9th-tie), Botswana (21st-tie), and Tunisia (21st-tie).”

Brazil

President Obama was in Brazil over the weekend.

Policy Analyst Brian McGraw notes that the President could help Brazil by ending our domestic farm subsidy programs.

“Taxpayers are still sending Brazilian cotton farmers millions of dollars per year because the WTO ruled in favor of Brazil when they sued the United States over our farm subsidy program. Rather than try to support Brazil by ending this (which is, admittedly, likely impossible for President Obama at this time), meaningless speeches will be given and some silly inter-bureaucratic program will potentially be set up to focus on economic development.”

Labeling Mandates

The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau is pushing a nutrition label mandate for alcohol products.

Policy Analyst Michelle Minton explains how such a mandate would hurt small producers.

“Because craft breweries produce fewer barrels and more varieties of beer, testing and labeling their many different beers could be cost-prohibitive, resulting in companies reducing the number of beers they make, reducing the states to which they distribute, or getting out of the brewing business entirely. According to the Brewers Association, a trade group representing small brewers, the estimated annual cost for compliance with a mandatory labeling requirement would be could be as high as $18,000 for brewers producing less than 1,000 barrels a year and more than $350,000 for brewers making more than 100,000 barrels a year.”