Brian Garst

Bio

I work as the Director of Government Affairs for the Center for Freedom and Prosperity, a free-market think tank dedicated to preserving tax competition, financial privacy and fiscal sovereignty. I have a B.S. in Computer Science and an M.A. in Political Science, and write primarily about taxes and economics.

Cyprus Bank Crisis: The 2 Biggest Lessons For the U.S.

Another country has dug itself into a hole, and with a banking crisis on its hands tiny Cyprus finds itself garnering out-sized attention. Here are two key lessons for the United States and the rest of the world. Capital is Not to Blame Despite…

How the Sixteenth Amendment Fueled the Era Of Big Government

The 16th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution — granting Congress the power to collect taxes on income — turned 100 years old earlier this month. It’s no coincidence that the same time period also saw an explosive growth in the scope and power of the…

Income Inequality: A Progressive Tax System Isn't the Best Solution

Margaret Thatcher once famously chastised a critic from the opposition party for preferring that "the poor were poorer, provided that the rich were less rich." Such is the perverse result, she said, of focusing excessively on relative wealth while…

Taxes 2013: Why Tax Reform Won't Be Enough to Solve Our Fiscal Crisis

The U.S. tax code is a mess. According to the National Taxpayer Advocate's 2012 Annual Report to Congress, Americans spend 6.1 billion hours each year complying with a tax code almost 4 million words long. More than half of Americans are forced to…

No Budget, No Pay Act: It's Hard to Argue Politicians Should Get Paid If They Don't Perform

In the four years that President Obama has been in office, Congress has only passed a single budget. Republicans blame Senate Democrats, who under the leadership of Harry Reid haven't passed a budget in over 1,370 days. Democrats insist that…

2013 Tax Increases: Expect Your Taxes to Skyrocket

I’ve never personally cared for the practice of New Year’s resolutions. In my observation, most people don’t come close to living up to their goals. Moreover, if something is worth improving about yourself or your circumstances, why not take notice…