Since there are fiscal deficits, there is inevitably a tax, real or hidden
After the COVID crisis and as a result of the war in Ukraine, OECD countries will have massive fiscal deficits. When there is a fiscal deficit, there is inevitably a tax increase to ensure the sustainability of the public debt. This may include: A real tax (increase in effective household or corporate taxes); A hidden tax: an inflation tax on money holders, taxes on bondholders due to below-growth interest rates. Today, it is obviously the hidden tax strategy that has been chosen. But it is important to understand that: If there is a fiscal deficit, there is always a tax, even hidden; Hidden taxes are taxes: they reduce the public debt ratio, but also the private sector’s disposable income.