Profile in Courage - Dr. Colin Mendelsohn

For most of the 1.2 billion cigarette smokers around the world, quitting is no easy feat. Even relatively effective quit-smoking aids such as nicotine patches have a 6-month success rate of less than 20 percent. Studies have repeatedly found that e-cigarettes are far more effective than traditional therapies in getting smokers to quit, all while being more than 95 percent safer than cigarettes. Yet, critics (including taxpayer-funded organizations) have been busy pedaling misinformation on vaping in an effort to stymie availability. Fortunately, a cadre of brave advocates have stepped into the fray to advocate for harm reduction. However, from the media to academics to policymakers, these tobacco harm reduction advocates are subjected to brutal attacks. For some odd reason, those who have dedicated their time to helping adults transition to less harmful alternatives to cigarettes are unworthy of praise that those who promote other live-saving technologies receive. This is especially true
in countries such as Australia, which imposes steep tobacco taxes and has essentially banned tobacco harm reduction products from the commercial market. Dr. Colin Mendelsohn is uniquely aware of this. For more than two decades, as a general practitioner, Dr. Mendelsohn helped many adults quit smoking. First, through traditional tobacco control practices and products, then utilizing modern tobacco harm reduction innovations, including e-cigarettes. And for that work alone, he is a Profile in Courage.

The advent of vaping would shake up the status-quo by making it far easier for cigarette smokers to quit. Years before this mainstream recognition, Dr. Mendelsohn was telling anyone who would listen about the relative health benefits of vaping. In a 2015 peer-reviewed article in Medicine Today, he and co-author Dr. Coral Gartner noted, “Increasing numbers of tobacco smokers in Australia are using ECs [e-cigarettes] to quit or reduce smoking…The limited evidence so far suggests that ECs may be effective smoking cessation aids; their use appears substantially safer than smoking, although there are no long-term safety data at present.” As Dr. Mendelsohn remarked in June 2024, he gets called “lots of interesting names.” From Tweedledum to the “Energizer Bunny of vaping promotion,” Dr. Mendelsohn has taken the personal attacks in stride. Retiring multiple times, Dr. Mendelsohn announced his final retirement from tobacco harm reduction advocacy, which he has proudly done for 10 years. Noting
that his “two previous attempts at retirement were not successful,” Dr. Mendelsohn is “finally mak[ing] the break this time!”

His retirement is bittersweet for tobacco harm reduction proponents, and the 1 billion adults who smoke globally, as it is well-known how draconian policies create utter chaos in what could be a well-regulated and controlled tobacco and harm reduction marketplace. As noted by Dr. Mendelsohn, “Australia policy has been an extraordinary failure, driven by a moral panic about youth vaping, widespread misinformation and denial of the scientific evidence.” Australia is a perfect example of what other countries should not do. Excessive excise taxes on combustible cigarettes have led to a massive illegal market, sparking modern tobacco wars, including reoccurring fire bombings of tobacco retail shops. The prescription-only model for obtaining e-cigarettes is also providing “another significant stream of revenue” for organized crime groups in the island country. Things have hardly been better in the U.S. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has received tobacco product applications for more
than 26 million deemed tobacco products, largely e-cigarette and vapor devices. The agency has claimed to have made determinations on more than 99 percent of those 26 million applications. These decisions have almost all been rejections. The Taxpayers Protection Alliance recently filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court urging changes to the FDA’s system for evaluating vaping products, but the outcome remains to be seen.

While Dr. Mendelsohn may not be as active in tobacco harm reduction advocacy, his work has left an imprint that has helped many adults understand tobacco harm reduction, as well as the process of making the switch to safer alternatives to smoking. In 2021, he authored Stop Smoking Start Vaping: The Healthy Truth About Vaping. Using simple terms and language, Stop Smoking, Start Vaping… “outlines the scientific evidence” about vaping in language that can be understood in an effort for adults to “make an informed decision” about whether vaping could work for them. But, with a new generation of advocates inspired by leaders such as Dr. Mendelsohn, the future for harm reduction can only be bright. TPA thanks this Profile in Courage for his service to the 1 billion adults around the world who smoke.

The Misguided Border Adjustment Mechanism

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) of 2017 contained many well-crafted provisions for tax relief for individuals and businesses. But importantly, and less often mentioned, lawmakers also weeded out some ill-conceived policies from the final bill. One such rejected proposal was a so-called “destination-based cash-flow tax,” or border adjustment mechanism (BAM) – formerly known as a border adjustment tax. A part of then–Speaker of the Houses Paul Ryan’s 2016 tax plan, the BAM (had it been enacted) would have taxed businesses (foreign and domestic) on production consumed stateside; meanwhile, American exports would have received exemptions. Nearly a decade on, the BAM is making a comeback. Its loudest advocates today are protectionists. They say it would serve a tariff’s function, benefitting domestic producers. Moreover, it seems to many an attractive revenue source. The BAM’s appeal rests on dubious suppositions and unsure projections. First off, the BAM’s advocates often misstate the
international tax ecosystem American businesses inhabit, offering it as a cure to an imagined disease. As two scholars from the Heritage Foundation made the case in a recent op-ed, American exporters supposedly submit to double taxation – once, in America, upon production; and again, abroad, in the form of consumption taxes. Foreign businesses are said to be taxed only once.

This is, quite plainly, bunk, as economists Veronique de Rugy and Daniel Mitchell outlined back in 2017. They wrote, “Proponents of the border-adjustment tax also are using a dodgy sales pitch, saying that their plan will get rid of a ‘Made in America Tax.’ The claim is that [value-added taxes (VATs)] give foreign companies an advantage. Say a German company exports a product to the U.S. It doesn’t pay the American corporate income tax, and it receives a rebate on its German VAT payments. But an American company exporting to Germany has to pay both – it’s subject to the U.S. corporate income tax and then pays the German VAT on the product when it is sold.” Sounds horribly unfair, right? Don’t be fooled. Like magicians, those making this argument are distracting the unwary, hoping that nobody will notice the trick.” Here’s the real story: What matters from a competitive perspective is whether the playing field is level – and it is. When the German company sells to customers in the U.S.,
it is subject to the German corporate income tax. The competing American firm selling domestically pays the U.S. corporate income tax. Neither is hit with a VAT. In other words, a level playing field.

What if an American company sells to a customer in Germany? The U.S. government imposes the corporate income tax and the German government imposes a VAT. But guess what? The German competitor selling domestically is hit by the German corporate income tax and the German VAT. That’s another level playing field. This explains why economists, on the right and left, repeatedly have debunked the idea that countries use VATs to boost their exports. After conjuring this psychosomatic disease, BAM supporters proceed to another obstacle. It is, simply put, bad policy. Economists differ with respect to a BAM’s likely effects. In theory, a perfectly applied BAM would cause the dollar to appreciate, affecting trade flows not at all and frustrating protectionist policymakers. “The adoption of a border adjustment by the United States would trigger an increase in the real exchange rate that would offset the perceived boost to exports and the perceived restraint on imports,” Alan D. Viard wrote for the
American Enterprise Institute. Viard continues: “[T]he main conclusion of the simple textbook model carries over intact to more general and more realistic models.” However, even were the theory to manifest cleanly in practice, a BAM would likely prove a veritable fountain of unintended and injurious consequences. Other economists believe that confounding factors – unpredictable human responses, carveouts for politicians’ favorite industries, and more – would disrupt a BAM’s implementation. Myriad political and economic distortions seem likely, none impending anything good. So argues Adam Michel, director of tax policy studies at the Cato Institute. “While these effects are far from certain,” he writes, his “analysis…suggests [the protectionists’] assessment is directionally correct.”
All this creates an inescapable tension. “Policymakers ultimately can’t have it both ways,” Michel continues. “The border adjustment is either tariff-like – and currencies do not fully adjust – or it is trade neutral and thus will not meet the policy priorities of mercantilist advocates, leaving them to desire additional tariffs in the future. The new border tax is bad either way.” Should a BAM function as a tariff, it would likely impose severe economic costs, which the Taxpayers Protection Alliance has documented at length.

Lawmakers seeking to aid American businesses have far better policy reforms within reach. They might further slash corporate tax rates, renew the TCJA’s tax credits for research and development, and repeal burdensome red tape. Calvin Coolidge famously said, “It is much more important to kill bad bills than to pass good ones.” Likewise, it is often more important to undo foolish regulations – allowing private businesses to thrive, free of interventionism – than to dream up new heavy-handed policy interventions to tilt the economy in one direction or another. As another great Republican president said, “the nine most terrifying words in the English language are: I’m from the Government, and I’m here to help.” This applies irrespective of whether those in power are Democrats or Republicans.


BLOGS:

Monday: Why We Need Free Trade: A Free Trade Center Interview Series with Brian Riley ([link removed])

Tuesday: What You Should Be Reading: November 2024 ([link removed])

Wednesday: TPA Introduces Model Policy on Government Owned Networks ([link removed])

Thursday: The DOJ’s Bid to Break Google is an Overstep ([link removed])

Friday: Another Company Fights Back Against Bias at the Department of Justice ([link removed])

Media:

November 21, 2024: The SGV Tribune (West Covina, Calif.) ran TPA’s op-ed, “As Los Angeles prepares for Olympics, transportation money gets shuffled toward fiber network.”

November 21, 2024: The Whittier Daily News (Monrovia, Calif.) ran TPA’s op-ed, “As Los Angeles prepares for Olympics, transportation money gets shuffled toward fiber network.”

November 21, 2024: The Daily Breeze (Hermosa Beach, Calif.) ran TPA’s op-ed, “As Los Angeles prepares for Olympics, transportation money gets shuffled toward fiber network.”

November 21, 2024: The Daily Bulletin (Ontario, Calif.) ran TPA’s op-ed, “As Los Angeles prepares for Olympics, transportation money gets shuffled toward fiber network.”

November 21, 2024: American Family News quoted TPA in their article, “Tax group says DOGE, like it or not, might hit speed bump with Congress.”

November 21, 2024: WBFF Fox45 (Baltimore, Md.) interviewed me for their story about Baltimore City’s Mayor Scott, city council, and board of estimates moving forward with more transparency measures for nonprofits.

November 21, 2024: Issues and Insights ran TPA’s op-ed, “Conservatives Shouldn’t Embrace Statist Solutions for Digital Regulation.”

November 21, 2024: Our Community Now quoted TPA in their article, “Taxpayer advocate warns of wasted funds in MONSE's $50M federal relief funds.”

November 21, 2024: WBFF Fox45 (Baltimore, Md.) interviewed me for their story on how MONSE is spending tax dollars.

November 22, 2024: The Pasadena Star-News (Pasadena, CA) ran TPA’s op-ed, “As Los Angeles prepares for Olympics, transportation money gets shuffled toward fiber network.”

November 22, 2024: WBFF Fox45 (Baltimore, Md.) quoted me in their article, “How Baltimore City enables non-profits to hide their finances.”

November 22, 2024: WBFF Fox45 (Baltimore, Md.) quoted me for their story on MONSE and Baltimore’s Safe Streets program.

November 22, 2024: The National Taxpayers Union mentioned TPA in their op-ed, “Free File Deserves More Attention While the IRS Wastes Resources on Direct File.”

November 22, 2024: WBFF Fox45 (Baltimore, Md.) quoted me for their story on MONSE and Baltimore’s Safe Streets program.

November 23, 2024: WBFF Fox45 (Baltimore, Md.) quoted me for their story on MONSE and Baltimore’s Safe Streets program.

November 24, 2024: WBFF Fox45 (Baltimore, Md.) quoted me for their story on MONSE and Baltimore’s Safe Streets program.

November 24, 2024: WBFF Fox45 (Baltimore, Md.) interviewed me for their story on the audit into the Safe Streets program.

November 24, 2024: The Daily News of Los Angeles (Woodland Hills, Calif.) ran TPA’s op-ed, “Misuse of funds; Transportation money being shuffled to fiber network.”

November 24, 2024: Torrance Daily Breeze (Hermosa Beach, Calif.) ran TPA’s op-ed, “Misuse of funds; Transportation money being shuffled to fiber network.”

November 24, 2024: Long Beach Press-Telegram (Long Beach, Calif.) ran TPA’s op-ed, “Misuse of funds; Transportation money being shuffled to fiber network.”

November 24, 2024: The Baltimore Sun (Baltimore, Md.) quoted me in their article, “Baltimore City’s ‘fiscal sponsorship’ network allows nonprofits to shield their finances.”

November 24, 2024: Maryland Gazette (Annapolis, Md.) quoted me in their article, “Baltimore City’s ‘fiscal sponsorship’ network allows nonprofits to shield their finances.”

November 24, 2024: The Baltimore Post (Baltimore, Md.) quoted me in their article, “Baltimore City’s ‘fiscal sponsorship’ network allows nonprofits to shield their finances.”

November 25, 2024: WBFF Fox45 (Baltimore, Md.) interviewed me for their story on schools in Maryland looking to replace traditional diesel school buses with electric school buses.

November 25, 2024: The Baltimore Sun (Baltimore, Md.) quoted TPA in their story, “'Fiscal sponsorship' reduces nonprofit transparency. Critics call for more clarity about who gets taxpayer funds.”

November 25, 2024: Our Community Now quoted TPA in their op-ed, “Examining the cost of transitioning to electric school buses in Maryland.”

November 25, 2024: News Channel 3 (Kalamazoo, Mich.) quoted TPA in their story, “Frederick mayor's plan to use tax dollars for immigrant legal aid fund sparks debate.”

November 25, 2024: KVAL (Eugene, Ore.) quoted TPA in their story, “Frederick mayor's plan to use tax dollars for immigrant legal aid fund sparks debate.”

November 25, 2024: Mid-Michigan Now (Saginaw, Mich.) quoted TPA in their story, “Frederick mayor's plan to use tax dollars for immigrant legal aid fund sparks debate.”

November 25, 2024: Fox11 (Milwaukee, Wisc.) quoted TPA in their story, “Frederick mayor's plan to use tax dollars for immigrant legal aid fund sparks debate.”

November 25, 2024: Fox56 (Lexington, Ky.) quoted TPA in their story, “Frederick mayor's plan to use tax dollars for immigrant legal aid fund sparks debate.”

November 25, 2024: Turn to 10 (Providence, Rhode Island) quoted TPA in their story, “Frederick mayor's plan to use tax dollars for immigrant legal aid fund sparks debate.”

November 25, 2024: WSBT (South Bend, Ind.) quoted TPA in their story, “Frederick mayor's plan to use tax dollars for immigrant legal aid fund sparks debate.”

November 25, 2024: ABC6 On Your Side (Columbus, Ohio) quoted TPA in their story, “Frederick mayor's plan to use tax dollars for immigrant legal aid fund sparks debate.”

November 25, 2024: CBS12 (Fort Pierce, Fla.) quoted TPA in their story, “Frederick mayor's plan to use tax dollars for immigrant legal aid fund sparks debate.”

November 25, 2024: News 4 (San Antonio, Texas) quoted TPA in their story, “Frederick mayor's plan to use tax dollars for immigrant legal aid fund sparks debate.”

November 25, 2024: KRNV (Reno, Nev.) quoted TPA in their story, “Frederick mayor's plan to use tax dollars for immigrant legal aid fund sparks debate.”

November 25, 2024: Fox4 (Rochester, N.Y.) quoted TPA in their story, “Frederick mayor's plan to use tax dollars for immigrant legal aid fund sparks debate.”

November 25, 2024: KPIC (Roseburg, Ore.) quoted TPA in their story, “Frederick mayor's plan to use tax dollars for immigrant legal aid fund sparks debate.”

November 25, 2024: KATU (Portland, Ore.) quoted TPA in their story, “Frederick mayor's plan to use tax dollars for immigrant legal aid fund sparks debate.”

November 25, 2024: KHQA (Quincy, Ill.) quoted TPA in their story, “Frederick mayor's plan to use tax dollars for immigrant legal aid fund sparks debate.”

November 25, 2024: News ABC12 (Greenville, N.C.) quoted TPA in their story, “Frederick mayor's plan to use tax dollars for immigrant legal aid fund sparks debate.”

November 25, 2024: KTXS ABC12 (Alpine, Texas) quoted TPA in their story, “Frederick mayor's plan to use tax dollars for immigrant legal aid fund sparks debate.”

November 25, 2024: News 3 (Las Vegas, Nev.) quoted TPA in their story, “Frederick mayor's plan to use tax dollars for immigrant legal aid fund sparks debate.”

November 25, 2024: WJAC TV (Johnstown, Pa.) quoted TPA in their story, “Frederick mayor's plan to use tax dollars for immigrant legal aid fund sparks debate.”

November 25, 2024: Fox Illinois (Springfield, Ill.) quoted TPA in their story, “Frederick mayor's plan to use tax dollars for immigrant legal aid fund sparks debate.”

November 25, 2024: CBS6 (Albany, N.Y.) quoted TPA in their story, “Frederick mayor's plan to use tax dollars for immigrant legal aid fund sparks debate.”

November 25, 2024: Fox28 (Savannah, Ga.) quoted TPA in their op-ed, “Frederick mayor's plan to use tax dollars for immigrant legal aid fund sparks debate.”

November 25, 2024: WTOV (Steubenville, Ohio) quoted TPA in their story, “Frederick mayor's plan to use tax dollars for immigrant legal aid fund sparks debate.”

November 25, 2024: WBFF Fox45 (Baltimore, Md.) quoted TPA in their story, “Frederick mayor's plan to use tax dollars for immigrant legal aid fund sparks debate.”

November 25, 2024: KVAL (Eugene, Ore.) quoted TPA in their story, “Frederick mayor's plan to use tax dollars for immigrant legal aid fund sparks debate.”

November 25, 2024: WBFF Fox45 (Baltimore, Md.) interviewed TPA for their story on the MD mayor’s proposal to pay illegal immigrants’ legal fees to fight deportation.

November 26, 2024: KGAN (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) quoted TPA in their story, “Frederick mayor's plan to use tax dollars for immigrant legal aid fund sparks debate.”

November 26, 2024: KUTV (Salt Lake City, Utah) quoted TPA in their story, “Frederick mayor's plan to use tax dollars for immigrant legal aid fund sparks debate.”

November 26, 2024: ABC News 4 Charleston (Mount Pleasant, S.C.) quoted TPA in their story, “Frederick mayor's plan to use tax dollars for immigrant legal aid fund sparks debate.”

November 26, 2024: WJLA TV (Arlington, Va.) quoted TPA in their story, “Frederick mayor's plan to use tax dollars for immigrant legal aid fund sparks debate.”

November 26, 2024: KOMO 4 (Seattle, Wash.) quoted TPA in their story, “Frederick mayor's plan to use tax dollars for immigrant legal aid fund sparks debate.”

November 26, 2024: Dayton 24/7 Now (Miamisburg, Ohio) quoted TPA in their story, “Frederick mayor's plan to use tax dollars for immigrant legal aid fund sparks debate.”

November 26, 2024: Mid Michigan Now (Flint, MI)) quoted me in their story, “Frederick mayor's plan to use tax dollars for immigrant legal aid fund sparks debate.”

November 26, 2024: Local 21 News (Harrisburg, Pa.) quoted TPA in their story, “Frederick mayor's plan to use tax dollars for immigrant legal aid fund sparks debate.”

November 26, 2024: WKRC (Cincinnati, Ohio) quoted TPA in their story, “Frederick mayor's plan to use tax dollars for immigrant legal aid fund sparks debate.”

November 26, 2024: WXLV (Winston Salem, N.C.) quoted TPA in their story, “Frederick mayor's plan to use tax dollars for immigrant legal aid fund sparks debate.”

November 26, 2024: WOKR13 (Rochester, N.Y.) quoted TPA in their story, “Frederick mayor's plan to use tax dollars for immigrant legal aid fund sparks debate.”

November 26, 2024: CBS4 Local (El Paso, Texas) quoted TPA in their story, “Frederick mayor's plan to use tax dollars for immigrant legal aid fund sparks debate.”

November 26, 2024: Fox23 WPFO (Portland, Maine) quoted TPA in their story, “Frederick mayor's plan to use tax dollars for immigrant legal aid fund sparks debate.”

November 26, 2024: WGME (Cockeysville, Md.) quoted TPA in their story, “Frederick mayor's plan to use tax dollars for immigrant legal aid fund sparks debate.”

November 26, 2024: CBS Austin (Austin, Texas) quoted TPA in their story, “Frederick mayor's plan to use tax dollars for immigrant legal aid fund sparks debate.”

November 26, 2024: WTOV9 (Stuebenville, Ohio) quoted TPA in their story, “Frederick mayor's plan to use tax dollars for immigrant legal aid fund sparks debate.”

November 26, 2024: KTV (Kirksville, Mo.) quoted TPA in their story, “Frederick mayor's plan to use tax dollars for immigrant legal aid fund sparks debate.”

November 26, 2024: KUTV Fox28 Savannah (Savannah, Ga.) quoted TPA in their story, “Frederick mayor's plan to use tax dollars for immigrant legal aid fund sparks debate.”

November 26, 2024: The National Desk quoted TPA in their story, “Frederick mayor's plan to use tax dollars for immigrant legal aid fund sparks debate.”

November 26, 2024: WPDE TV (Florence, S.C.) quoted TPA in their story, “Frederick mayor's plan to use tax dollars for immigrant legal aid fund sparks debate.”

November 26, 2024: WEAR TV3 (Pensacola, Fla.) quoted TPA in their story, “Frederick mayor's plan to use tax dollars for immigrant legal aid fund sparks debate.”

November 26, 2024: WSET (Lynchburg, Va.) quoted TPA in their story, “Frederick mayor's plan to use tax dollars for immigrant legal aid fund sparks debate.”

November 26, 2024: Blazed quoted TPA in their story, “Radical Maryland mayor vows to help illegal aliens fight Trump's deportation efforts using taxpayer dollars.”

November 26, 2024: DNyuz quoted TPA in their story, “Radical Maryland mayor vows to help illegal aliens fight Trump's deportation efforts using taxpayer dollars.”

November 26, 2024: Hot Air (Arlington, Va.) quoted TPA in their story, “Your Tax Dollars at Work in *checks notes* MD: Paying Illegals' Legal Fees.”

November 27, 2024: RealClear Markets ran TPA’s op-ed, “To Make America Healthy Again, FDA Must Cut Red Tape.”

November 27, 2024: Townhall ran TPA’s op-ed, “The Rank Overreach of the DOJ’s Bid to Break Up Google.”

November 30, 2024: MSN United States mentioned TPA and quoted David in their story, “‘Not exactly a political powerhouse’: Conservatives left scratching their heads at Trump’s labor pick.”

November 30, 2024: The Washington Examiner mentioned TPA and quoted David in their op-ed, “‘Not exactly a political powerhouse’: Conservatives left scratching their heads at Trump’s labor pick.”

December 1, 2024: WBFF Fox45 (Baltimore, Md.) interviewed me for their story on how MONSE is spending tax dollars.

December 2, 2024: RealClear Health ran TPA’s op-ed, “America First Agenda Includes Protecting Vaping Freedom.”

December 2, 2024: Our Community Now quoted TPA in their article, “Trump to impose tariffs; expert discusses potential local economy effects.”

December 2, 2024: DC Journal ran TPA’s op-ed, “Telecom Groups Concerned with NTIA’s BEAD Speed Requirements.”

December 2, 2024: WBFF Fox45 (Baltimore, MD) interviewed me for their story on how tariffs could impact Maryland.

December 3, 2024: Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman (Wasilla, Alaska) ran TPA’s op-ed, “The Postal Service is beyond the president’s help.”

December 3, 2024: The Center Square ran TPA’s op-ed, “The Postal Service is beyond the president’s help.”

December 4, 2024: WBFF Fox45 (Baltimore, Md.) interviewed me for their story on Baltimore City legislators potentially passing a fair wage for tipped restaurant workers.

December 4, 2024: WBFF Fox45 (Baltimore, Md.) quoted me in their article, “Baltimore's renaissance questioned as businesses shutter and crime concerns linger.”

December 4, 2024: The Daily Pouch ran TPA’s op-ed, “The Vacuous and Vapid Vaping Debate.”

Have a great weekend!

Best,

David Williams
President
Taxpayers Protection Alliance
1101 14th Street, NW
Suite 500
Washington, D.C. xxxxxx

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