BNN offers comprehensive coverage of THE MUNK DEBATES, beginning tonight at 7 p.m. ET with a live stream of the debates at BNN.ca/munkdebates. Then, tomorrow at 12:30 p.m. ET, BNN’s HEADLINE features interviews with debaters, including 2012 U.S. Presidential Candidate, Newt Gingrich; former Reagan advisor, Arthur Laffer; and Nobel Memorial Prize winner and Professor of Economics, Paul Krugman. Finally, on Thursday, June 6 at 8:30 p.m. ET, BNN features a one-hour special broadcast of THE MUNK DEBATES, presenting a comprehensive summary of the event.
THE MUNK DEBATES aims to explore how advanced countries should respond to growing income inequality. For some, the answer is obvious: Imposing higher taxes on the wealthy is the best way for countries such as Canada to reinvest in their social safety nets, education, and infrastructure while protecting the middle class. Others argue that anemic economic growth, not income inequality, is the real problem facing advanced countries, and that lowering taxes on everyone stimulates innovation and investment, fuelling future prosperity.
Arguing against taxing the rich:
- Newt Gingrich is a former Speaker of the House of Representatives and a serial U.S. candidate for the Republican presidential nomination.
- Arthur Laffer is an economist, economic advisor to U.S. President Regan and is considered by many to be the “father” of supply side economics.
Arguing for taxing the rich:
- Paul Krugman is a Nobel-Prize winning economist and New York Times columnist.
- George Papandreou is the current President of the Socialist International and the past Prime Minister of Greece.
The Munk Debates – an initiative of the Aurea Foundation – seek to provide a lively and practical forum for leading thinkers to debate real issues facing the world and Canada. Organized by Rudyard Griffiths and Patrick Luciani of the Salon Speaker Series, The Munk Debates benefit from insights from an esteemed advisory board comprised of high-level journalists, professors and business professionals.