"Taxes are theft." You may have heard similar statements made or shared by your libertarian (or classical liberal) acquaintances. Is there any logic behind this statement, though, or is it just another hollow political slogan? Let's start with a thought experiment. If a robber threatened you with a gun...

Highlights: - Inflation continues to accelerate, most noticeably in manufactured goods. - In February, retail growth in Bulgaria continues to outpace that in the EU. - Industrial production is growing again, with sales in the extractive industry growing at the highest levels since 2011. - The construction sector is starting to emerge from the prolonged period of …

On this day of reflection, I address this letter to you, the right-wing voters. Those of you who share the principles of the right, such as more freedom and responsibility for citizens and less interference and control from the state. And even more specifically, those of you who once again convinced me to vote, even though there is no …

Highlights: Retail trade data indicate that consumption growth is accelerating, likely driven by higher levels of household lending Industrial production and turnover fell year-on-year in January, but mainly due to a base effect Consumer price inflation continues to accelerate, but lags slightly behind …

Recently, Bulgaria's possible entry into the EU's monetary union, the so-called Eurozone, has become a hot topic. Over the past week, a number of experts, led by the former economic team of the NMSV and Ivan Kostov, took turns explaining in various media why Bulgaria should abolish the currency board as soon as possible and …

A specter has been haunting the Bulgarian political space lately. The specter of the supposedly suspended Belene NPP project. Although it was suspended in 2012, as anyone who has followed the developments in recent months knows, some of the equipment needed for the construction of the new nuclear power plant is already on its way to Bulgaria, …

Highlights: Data indicate faster growth of the Bulgarian economy towards the end of 2016. In December, production in the manufacturing industry on an annual basis grew at the fastest rate since 2011. Growth in industrial turnover reached the highest rate in the last 21 months. Retail trade grows at a strong pace, stimulated by the Christmas holidays…

During the 2016 US presidential race, both Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders emerged as advocates of protectionism and expressed clear support for expanding tariffs and other trade barriers imposed on imports, with both arguing that free trade policies lead to job losses...

Adam Ozimek The second film in Disney's Star Wars series isn't perfect, but it succeeds on many levels that George Lucas' second trilogy (Episodes I, II, and III) didn't. For the second time, Star Wars gives us a reason to celebrate the profit motive of a greedy corporation, …

On December 14, the chair of the Federal Reserve, the central bank of the United States, officially announced the increase in the institution's key interest rate by 25 basis points, from 0.25% to 0.50%. This is the first interest rate increase by the Fed since December 2015, although Yellen initially said that we would see three to four increases ...