Guess who is the winner of GDP growth in Europe this quarter?

[Baoxiaodao]

Weighed down by Germany, overall eurozone GDP rose by only 0.2 per cent in the second quarter, after a 0.8 per cent rise in the first three months of the year – bringing growth in line with the pace of expansion as in the UK but below the 0.3 per cent increase reported by the US.

 

An unlikely star performer was Belgium, which saw a 0.7 per cent rise in the second quarter – attributed by analysts at least partly to the lack of a government in the country able to push through spending cuts or tax increases.

 

This one says it all!

 

[Myth465]

Economics really is the dismal science.  Correlation does not equal causation.....

[tombgrt]

;D 400+ days and counting. Not that most here notice anything, on the contrary...

 

But don't worry, negotiations restarted today and they will increase taxes significantly soon enough. We already are one of the most heavily taxed countries in the world and now they will implement capital gains taxes off 50% on realised investment gains, a """temporay""" crisis contribution, fake spending cuts, ...

 

NVA, the big winner of the elections of last year, was the only party to vote against the current lousy proposal and now they are being put in the opposition. I am not even trying to care about it anymore...

[Bart]

;D 400+ days and counting. Not that most here notice anything, on the contrary...

 

But don't worry, negotiations restarted today and they will increase taxes significantly soon enough. We already are one of the most heavily taxed countries in the world and now they will implement capital gains taxes off 50% on realised investment gains, a """temporay""" crisis contribution, fake spending cuts, ...

 

NVA, the big winner of the elections of last year, was the only party to vote against the current lousy proposal and now they are being put in the opposition. I am not even trying to care about it anymore...

 

Same feelings here Tombgrt, although it's kind of hard not to notice since it's all that's ever talked about on national radio and TV.

 

I Was pretty annoyed as well with the capital gains tax: we'd pay 50% on realised gains if you sell within a year (because apparently that equals speculation :-\), and 25% after that up to a 8 years holding period, and 25% on all dividends. On the bright side: you'd only have to hold your shares for 8 years if you don't want to pay the realised gains tax  ;)

 

Let's see if it makes it through the negotiations unchanged...

 

Pretty interested actually: how does this proposal compare to the situation re capital gains tax in other countries?

 

Bart (aka the-other-Belgian-on-this-board)

[twacowfca]

Weighed down by Germany, overall eurozone GDP rose by only 0.2 per cent in the second quarter, after a 0.8 per cent rise in the first three months of the year – bringing growth in line with the pace of expansion as in the UK but below the 0.3 per cent increase reported by the US.

 

An unlikely star performer was Belgium, which saw a 0.7 per cent rise in the second quarter – attributed by analysts at least partly to the lack of a government in the country able to push through spending cuts or tax increases.

 

This one says it all!

 

 

Touche!  Studies have shown that the US economy has done best when Congress was stalemated with control divided between the two parties.  :o