In Europe, policymakers, including the European Central Bank, demand consolidation for high-debt countries, but are flexible in negotiations; voters, however, reject it – most recently in Italy. In the United States, Republicans propose to balance the budget within ten years by reforming entitlement spending and taxes (with fewer exemptions, deductions, and credits providing the revenue needed to reduce personal tax rates and a corporate rate that, at 35%, is the highest in the OECD).
在欧洲，包括欧洲央行在内的决策者要求重债国实行整合，但在谈判中态度颇为灵活；不过选民拒绝了这一要求——最新的例子是意大利。在美国，共和党建议在通过改革福利支出和税收（减少免税、减税和豁免可以补偿个税和公司税（税率为35%，经合组织中最高）税收收入的减少）在十年内实现预算平衡。