"Dubai has even built man-made islands—some in the shape of palm trees—to accommodate the wealthiest of them. Its economic growth rate, 16 percent, is nearly double that of China. Construction cranes punctuate the skyline like exclamation points."

Rest of article at:

http://www7.nationalgeographic.com/n...re3/index.html

Funny the spectacular economic growth you can have when you don't have any income or business taxes...

"Costs
For setting up in Dubai, international companies have many secure cost advantages which may not generally be available elsewhere.

The cost advantages include:
• Competitive import duties (4 per cent, with many exemptions).
• Competitive labour costs.
• Competitive energy costs.
• Competitive real-estate costs.
• No corporate taxes.
• No income taxes.
• No foreign-exchange controls.
• No trade barriers for exports"

http://www.dubaicityguide.com/BUSINESS/business.asp


"Living Costs
Dubai is a cheap place to live when compared to Western Europe, allowing many people to save while experiencing a great quality of life. Petrol is given away, food inexpensive and loan rates reasonable.


Growth
Dubai has experienced extraordinary economic growth. It was the first city in the region to form free trade zones two decades ago, and foreign investors have not been shy in setting up their regional operations here. Beyond trade and manufacturing, this now extends to the free trade zones of Dubai Internet and Media cities (and shortly Medical City), giving the emirate a cutting edge technological advantage. Meanwhile investment in tourism has grown by leaps and bounds. With over 50 four and five star hotels in the city, tourism revenue overtook oil revenue as a part of Dubai’s gross domestic product (GDP) for the first time in 2003 – 18% of GDP against 17% GDP for oil. Dubai’s GDP increases an average 7.5% a year.


Taxes
There are currently no income or property related taxes of any kind. There are no business taxes except in the banking industry.

Policy
Each emirate in the United Arab Emirates enjoys considerable autonomy in managing its own affairs. In business, the government of Dubai is committed to liberal, free market policies and to the creation of a business environment conducive to commercial activity. This approach is well illustrated by incentives available to investors in the Jebel Ali and Airport Free Zones and by the continuing high level of public sector investment in the infrastructure."

http://www.homesdubai.com/about_dubai_economy.asp

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"All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident." - Schopenhauer

LMAO

helps to have a steady supply of oil to fund everything

Except that many of the other Middle Eastern countries have far more oil, and yet have impoverished populations and poor growth rate...

Hey, does that disprove your argument? whoops...

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"All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident." - Schopenhauer

OK, class.. Let's learn about Dubai.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dubai

so there goes the oil argument (no shocker... most oil rich nations suffer more than they do well)...
but...
Human rights issues? Doesn't sound very libertarian to me (never mind that as an emirate its own autonomy is highly limited)... Must look into this...

Sounds like what one would expect from "laissez faire"... though hardly a Utopia. It seems the trickle-down effect has not taken place there yet.

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"It's never over... BOY!"
The Tall Man, Phantasm III

Wait! There's more! I didn't dismiss you!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_r..._Arab_Emirates

Well, these are all certainly fine ways to grow an economy... but not having any rights over government? That doesn't sound very libertarian to me.

Can you smell the freedom?

Yup sirree... Definitely a place to look up to.

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"It's never over... BOY!"
The Tall Man, Phantasm III

They are a capitalist, totalitarian state. Go figure. China is like that, too. It's an odd combination. But it does show how a country can grow its economy (albiet with side effects).

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This space for rent.

Singapore isn't exactly the land of freedom of expression either..its also not a bad place tolive. In fact many point to it as a model society.

...and I seem to recall it being a-OK to have the Chinese Communists overlook your ports but not the UAE...

Guess if I run concentration camps and kill people for mouthing off at the state its ok IF Im Asian.



I did though enjoy the OIIIIIIIIIIIIL knee jerk nonsense being blown out of the water.

__________________
"We make war that we may live in peace"
"...peace is the highest aspiration of the American People. We will negotiate for it, sacrifice for it, we will never surrender for it, now or ever."
"War critics can no longer credibly argue that we are losing in Iraq, so now they argue the war costs too much."
"Oderint dum metuant"
http://members.cox.net/neddy/bobhope_kerfuffles.wmv
http://youtube.com/watch?v=RnfflRNpwKA
http://youtube.com/watch?v=j-QYIP7o2-A

My brother-in-law recently returned from a trip there and he loved it. But he stayed at the Burj Al Arab and I'm pretty sure his trip didn't include a trip to the slums. As stated, I don't think is an example of a model society and the miracle of no taxes.

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JMS gets another English lesson:

Quote:

there is no "mostly unique;" thats like saying "sometimes always," its an oxymoron - its either one or the other.

The result:

Quote:

By the mid-19th century unique had developed a wider meaning, “not typical, unusual,” and it is in this wider sense that it is compared. The comparison of so-called absolutes in senses that are not absolute is standard in all varieties of speech and writing.

Well, the economic part is one thing. The rest not so much. It does show that low taxes and leaving things be grows the economy. But it's not an ideal society by any means.

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This space for rent.

Note that I didn't say they were libertarian, Java. You're putting words in my mouth. They're definitely not libertarian.

I simply noted that they were seeing spectacular growth - more economic growth than anyone else - and they had no income tax or business taxes.

If the government would work on correcting the other issues, then they would see far more improvement.

__________________
"All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident." - Schopenhauer