Tax Day, Open Skies and Toyota’s Legal Tactics
Tax Day inspires out an array of protests and demonstrations.
The U.S. and EU signed an “Open Skies” agreement last month, which purportedly allows airlines better access to intra-continental markets.
The Associated Press claims that Toyota has been engaged in “evasive and deceptive legal tactics.”
1. TAXES
Tax Day inspires out an array of protests and demonstrations.
CEI Expert Available to Comment: Vice President for Policy Wayne Crews and Journalism Fellow Ryan Young on the hidden $1 trillion tax:
“The federal government spends far more than it taxes. Last year alone, the deficit was $1.4 trillion. This year’s deficit is expected to grow to around $1.8 trillion. Add in the burden of federal deficit spending, and we’re working until May 17 to pay for the growth of government (and that’s not even counting state and local deficit spending). Yet even that’s not all. The hidden tax of federal regulation cost businesses and consumers an additional $1.187 trillion last year—none of which shows up in the federal budget. Regulation eats up an additional 8.3 percent of GDP.”
2. TRANSPORTATION
The U.S. and EU signed an “Open Skies” agreement last month, which purportedly allows airlines better access to intra-continental markets.
CEI Expert Available to Comment: Vice President Iain Murray and Research Associate Roger Abbott on the American restrictions which are still a barrier to “open skies.”
“The Obama administration is doing American consumers no favors by shielding domestic carriers from foreign competition. Consumers only stand to gain from doing away with the current ownership cap, which restricts competition and tarnishes America’s reputation as a defender of free markets—which in turn undermines America’s ability to advocate for open markets abroad. Taxpayers would benefit as well. By freeing up capital and allowing foreign companies to buy into U.S.-based airlines, Congress would reduce domestic carriers’ reliance on taxpayer support, thus reducing the likelihood of future bailouts.”
3. LEGAL
The Associated Press claims that Toyota has been engaged in “evasive and deceptive legal tactics.”
CEI Expert Available to Comment: Adjunct Scholar Michael Fumento why the results of the AP’s “investigation” may be skewed.
“It’s clear from the article that the ‘experts’ upon whom the journalists relied aren’t just lawyers, aren’t just trial lawyers, but are trial lawyers suing Toyota. ‘Automobile manufacturers, in my practice, have been the toughest to deal with when it comes to sharing information,’ one lawyer told AP, ‘but Toyota has no peer.’ He represents somebody killed in a Toyota crash.”