Tempestade Cerebral

Via Intermitente, mais uma lição vinda de um país de leste, a Estónia (meus destaques):

"It was Estonia which set the ball rolling with a flat-rate 26 per cent income tax. The philosophy behind the flat-rate tax is simple. People that work more and earn more should not be punished for it. Progressive taxes act as a disincentive. In Estonia, the flat-rate tax fostered capital formation, lead to higher productivity levels, higher wages, and job creation. Moreover, a flat income tax rate is easy to collect and control.
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Moreover, Estonia abolished all import tariffs, it introduced a balanced budget required by law, massive deregulation and so on. Estonia also abolished it corporate tax on reinvested profits. These lessons have subsequently been eagerly absorbed in other new member states. Now Poland, Hungary and Latvia have all cut corporation tax to below 20%. Slovakia has introduced a 19% flat tax for both corporate and personal income; whereas, in the founding member states it often exceeds 30 percent. In Germany the rate is almost 40 percent, and in Sweden it ranges between 30 percent and 60 percent.
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Mart Laar [prime minister of Estonia between 1992-1994 and 1999-2002]: «[...] if 'old Europe' is to compete effectively with 'new Europe,' it will have to lower taxes and rethink the social-welfare systems that high taxation supports. Ten years ago Estonia became the first country in Europe to introduce flat rate proportional personal income tax, a policy designed to energize our people and stimulate growth. It was a huge success. Latvia and Lithuania followed, then Russia, Ukraine and now Slovakia. [...] It looks quite possible that within five years the whole of Central and Eastern Europe will move to flat-rate income taxes.»
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Who could have believed some 15 years ago that the most powerful free-market winds would now be blowing from the East instead of the other way around? "

Como sempre, Portugal continua na "cauda" da Europa...