Great example

I think this article just highlights how pervasive, unnecessary and inefficient bureaucracy is - and, in the case of Portuguese Justice system, how corrosive for the integrity of results and effects in the normal rule of society bureaucracy leads to. We need to simplify systems, reducing its costs to do two things that people usually think opposite - improve deliver and value while lowering costs. It is possible when systems are as inoperative as this example highlights.

http://www.publico.pt/sociedade/noticia/metade-da-duracao-media-dos-processos-e-gasta-com-notificacoes-1577840

Don't overtax success

Really! Don't overtax success! Governments should ensure honest hard work and talent are rewarded - that is what pushes a society forward! Too much tax and people will start asking "why should I work so hard?". Taxes should be progressive (who earns more also should pay more, to help promote social balance and as solidariety), but 75% tax rates on income are an absurd! A dangerous absurd!

http://www.publico.pt/mundo/noticia/belgica-recusa-ser-bode-expiatorio-no-caso-depardieu-1577715

Is this what I have been asking for?

Over the past years, you have read me bickering about the need for a growth strategy in Portugal, that would allow us to focus resources while thinking on the long term. Might this industrial foster strategy be a significant part of it? I really hope so!

http://www.publico.pt/economia/noticia/estrategia-de-fomento-industrial-sera-apresentada-em-fevereiro-1577085

Growth is an assumption of any Wellfare State

I agree with Ferreira do Amaral. And I think this is quite obvious. You need sustainable growth to fund a wellfare state. The solution on the medium term should thus be to actually fuel and promote that growth. You can't keep on taking responsibilities without a clear way to fund them. Very simply.

http://www.publico.pt/economia/noticia/raiz-da-crise-do-estado-social-e-economica-diz-joao-ferreira-do-amaral-1576816

How the tax burden has changed in the US

A very interesting article from the New York Times, comparing the burden of tax in the US, over the last 30 years and across income class. It is data centric (so, analysis is limited) but it really is very interesting to see the shift from federal income tax to local and payroll ones. And it is also very curious to understand Americans are now paying less taxes (as a percentage of their household income) than they were 30 years ago - and the distribution of the burden. Does anyone if there is a similar study for Portugal?

Ah! You can see NYT's article in http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/11/30/us/tax-burden.html?smid=fb-share

This is shock for me

Brasil is only Portugal's 11th export market! This doesn't make any sense, considering the size of the country, Portuguese heritage and cultural similarities.

http://www.publico.pt/economia/noticia/angola-china-e-eua-garantem-grande-parte-do-aumento-das-exportacoes-portuguesas-1576017

Time article on PIMCO...

... was especially interesting. Most of all, because it is very clear on the connection between economic growth and bonds performance. And, for all the cowboys out there that like to speculate, understanding this is actually the only way to enjoy strong, sustainable return on investment in these titles.