A mixed economy is a blend of a governmentally controlled and free-market economy, and while some may consider this economy to be ideal, it does have disadvantages. One of the disadvantages of a mixed economy is that business owners must pay taxes they cannot control, because the government controls tax collection and spending. The government has a tendency to allocate resources for social welfare, rather than for items that would boost the economy. This economy gives business owners great freedom, but that may be a problem for some, because business owners need to find their own market. The government also has a large hand in the economy, so there typically is a lot of paperwork and bureaucracy for business owners to go through.
Business owners rarely like to pay taxes, because this bites into their profit. This is one of the disadvantages of a mixed economy, because of how the government is involved in the economy. Business owners also cannot determine where their tax money goes. Instead, the government takes a pre-determined percentage from business owners’ profits and uses the money as it wishes; this means that the money could be used for social programs or for wars.
The government has control of resource allocation in a mixed economy. In a free-market economy, resources will be given to services that best boost the economy, but a mixed economy gives the majority of resources to social welfare programs. While some people will see this as an advantage, it is a disadvantage for business owners, because they may not get enough resources to create an adequate product or profit.
Another disadvantage is the amount of freedom business owners have to create a product. While there are legal restrictions on some product types, most items can be made without any such problems. This means business owners must find and create their own market, which can be difficult for some companies because of the free-market side of a mixed economy.
Government agencies typically like to keep track of businesses, their earnings, and many other aspects of their business practices. This means that business owners may have to deal with a lot of paperwork and bureaucracy to get licenses or simply to operate legally. This is one of the disadvantages of a mixed economy that is hardest for private businesses, because they often experience the most paperwork.