September 20, 2010
Robert Samuelson is apparently very worried about the loss of “up to 12,000” jobs due to President Obama’s temporary moratorium on oil drilling in the Gulf. For context, this job loss is less than 0.01 percent of total employment. It is a bit more than a typical day’s job growth in the years 1996-2000.
Samuelson is also concerned about President Obama’s plan to allow President Bush’s tax cut for the wealthy to expire. He cites figures from Mark Zandi, that the wealthiest 2 percent of the population “represent almost a quarter of all consumer spending” (italics in original).
While it is true that the richest 2 percent impose a hugely disproportionate strain on the economy’s resources, the relevant issue is their marginal propensity to consume. All studies, including those by Zandi, show that the marginal propensity of the rich to consume is very low. In other words, if we give Bill Gates another $20 million in tax breaks, it is unlikely to affect his consumption to any significant extent.
Samuelson also points out that many small business owners will be affected by the end of the Bush tax cuts. The vast majority of the small business owners who are affected will see a trivial increase in their tax bill. The Joint Tax Committee of Congress projected that the average tax hit on tax filers with incomes between $200,000 and $500,000 (the vast majority of the affected small businesses) would see an increase in their taxes of just $500. This is unlikely to have much impact on their hiring and growth. It is also worth noting that the higher Clinton era tax rates were in place in the late 90s when the economy was generating more than 8,000 jobs a day.
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