Moldova, a former Soviet Republic, is a poor and backwards nation with too much government. Seeking a brighter future, a part of Moldova has declared independence and is calling itself Pridnestrovie. Though this new country has not yet been recognized by the world, Pridnestrovie has wisely decided to implement free market reforms — including a flat tax that has been reduced from 15 percent to 10 percent according to a story from last year in the Tiraspol Times:

Parliament in Pridnestrovskaia Moldavskaia Respublica approved new lower tax rates for the emerging but unrecognized country. Previously, the nation taxed incomes for physical persons at 15%, but starting next month the rate will be just 10% flat.

…Since its declaration of independence on 2 September 1990, Pridnestrovie has gradually transformed itself from a post-Soviet system to a free, Western-style market based economy. In the process, it has found that a flat tax provides the best incentives for citizens and investors alike.

Hoover Institution political scientist Alvin Rabushka points to a number of different countries in the former Soviet bloc that have adopted some form of flat tax in recent years. In addition to Russia, Pridnestrovie and Slovakia, they are Romania, Georgia, Estonia, Latvia, Serbia and Ukraine.

Not surprisingly, the flat tax is having a positive impact. The Tiraspol Times now reports that tax revenues have more than tripled and lawmakers understand that lower tax rates can lead to more revenue — just as the Laffer Curve illustrates:

Thanks to reform in the tax code, and a lowering of rates, income from taxes has gone up three and a half times in Pridnestrovie, says the parliamentary press service. …Tax revenues went from 63.4 million dollars in 2001 to a whopping 221.6 million dollars in 2006, the last full year for which the numbers are available.

…Key to the reform package were measures which makes filing simpler, as well as a comprehensive program of tax relief. Five taxes which existed before 2001 have now been abolished and instead replaced with a single, simple tax.

…With both personal and corporate tax rates well below those of Ireland, the growth in Pridnestrovie’s tax income is even more impressive. As taxes have been simplified and rates have been lowered, revenues have gone up three and a half times.

Addendum: The good news about Pridnestrovie may not be so good after all. My Cato colleague Justin Logan rained on my flat tax parade by telling me that Pridnestrovie, AKA Tansnistria (I guess even the name of the place is in dispute), is not exactly the Hong Kong of Eastern Europe. The breakaway province has a very poor reputation for corruption. It also is not exactly a role model of democracy, since the boss of the country recently won 103 percent of the vote in one region (eat your heart out, Castro). Alas.