Madsen Pirie

Contributor at City A.M.

President of the Adam Smith Institute, author, logician, rocket boy.

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Articles

The traditional pub does more than serve drinks — Adam Smith Institute

1 week ago | adamsmith.org | Madsen Pirie

Some in the anti-alcohol and anti-tobacco lobby have their sights set on the traditional British pub. But it plays an important social and cultural role. George Orwell had a strong appreciation for traditional British pubs, particularly the type that fostered a sense of community and provided a space for social interaction.
The Twentieth Century’s most benign leaders — Adam Smith Institute

1 week ago | adamsmith.org | Madsen Pirie

Most people would agree on the Twentieth Century’s most evil leaders with relative ease. Up there would be Josef Stalin, Mao Zedong and Adolf Hitler, all of whom murdered millions. Two were Communists and one was a National Socialist. Pol Pot murdered 1.7-2 million, a quarter of Cambodia’s population, in an attempt to impose a classless Communist society. In the second rank might come Idi Amin, Fidel Castro and Saddam Hussein, all of whom were disasters for their countries.
Revisiting the political cycle — Adam Smith Institute

2 weeks ago | adamsmith.org | Madsen Pirie

It seems that the political cycle has changed. It used to be thought that after left-leaning governments had broken the economy by reckless spending, the UK public would elect right-leaning ones to fix it. When they had done so and the country prospered again, people would elect a left-leaning government to redistribute the wealth by over-spending, and ruin the economy again. Some observers pointed to a rough historical rhythm.
Time to look again at a flat tax in the UK — Adam Smith Institute

2 weeks ago | adamsmith.org | Madsen Pirie

The ASI published ‘Flat Tax - the British Case’ by Andrei Grecu in 2004. It aroused much debate at the time and now, with the prospect of a radical incoming government, it is perhaps time the case was made again. A flat tax is a system under which all individuals and businesses pay the same percentage of their income in tax, regardless of how much they earn. The three Baltic states have flat tax systems, and there’s a strong case for implementing a flat tax in the UK.
How to denannify the state — Adam Smith Institute

2 weeks ago | adamsmith.org | Madsen Pirie

An incoming UK government that aims to reduce the nanny state of excessive government intervention in personal choices might pursue reforms in several key areas to roll it back. It could scrap or modify the soft drinks industry levy, the sugar tax. It could relax rules around portion sizes, calorie labeling, or advertising restrictions on so-called junk food.
The Treasury mindset — Adam Smith Institute

2 weeks ago | adamsmith.org | Madsen Pirie

There are strong arguments to suggest that the UK Treasury is too focused on maximizing tax revenues at the expense of broader goals such as economic growth, living standards, and fairness. The Treasury mindset is to pursue revenue maximization at the expense of economic growth. Critics argue that the Treasury often prioritizes tax measures that generate reliable short-term revenue, sometimes at the expense of long-term productivity.
Why tax the poorest? — Adam Smith Institute

3 weeks ago | adamsmith.org | Madsen Pirie

There is a strong case for proposing that those living on the basic UK State Pension or the National Minimum Wage should be exempt from income tax and National Insurance contributions (NICs). Taxing people on the bare minimum needed to survive is viewed by many as unjust. If the government itself sets the State Pension or the Minimum Wage as the baseline for an acceptable standard of living, taking back some of that income contradicts the principle of a minimum living standard.
Taxation is theft, of course — Adam Smith Institute

3 weeks ago | adamsmith.org | Madsen Pirie

Taxation is collected under the threat of punishment such as fines, asset seizure, or imprisonment, making it non-consensual. If an individual took our money under threat of force, it would be considered theft. The fact that it is done by the state doesn't change the moral nature of the act. Many people would claim that individuals have a natural or moral right to the fruits of their labor and property. Certainly it is a right we agree to give to others in order to justify claiming it for ourselves.
Celebrating Trafalgar Day — Adam Smith Institute

3 weeks ago | adamsmith.org | Madsen Pirie

My colleague, Dr Eamonn Butler, will not like this proposal at all because he has expressed the view that Bank holidays are an anachronism that should be abolished, although he did once grudgingly tell the ASI staff that they could take Christmas morning off. There is, however, a strong case for scrapping the early May UK holiday and replacing it with a Trafalgar Day holiday on October 21st.
NHS debit cards - Adam Smith Institute

3 weeks ago | adamsmith.org | Madsen Pirie

One idea to improve UK national healthcare has been the proposal to give everyone an NHS debit card they could use to access private treatment if the NHS delay in treating them were deemed unacceptably long. This idea comes up fairly often in healthcare policy debates, sometimes called ‘voucher’ or ‘health credit’ schemes. Giving everyone an NHS debit card to use for private treatment if NHS waits are too long could have several potential merits.