Although most measures of the size of government focus improperly on regime spending as a share of GDP, any truly meaningful appraisal must take account of government regulations and related red tape. By one estimate, it cost Americans $1.83 trillion to comply with federal regulations in 2013, a figure that obviously leaves aside the cost to conform with state and local government edicts.
Robert Higgs is Retired Senior Fellow in Political Economy, Founding Editor and former Editor at Large of The Independent Review.
Economic PolicyEconomyFederal Budget PolicyFederal Tax PolicyFiscal Policy/DebtGovernment and PoliticsTaxesTaxes and Budget
Other Independent Review articles by Robert Higgs
Fall 2019 Pressure-Release Valves in Participatory Fascism
Winter 2018/19 Two Worlds: Politics and Everything Else
Fall 2018 Against the Whole Concept and Construction of the Balance of International Payments
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