This afternoon, we had a fascinating conversation about taxes (really!) with author Vanessa Williamson, an expert on tax policy and public opinion about taxation and a senior fellow in governance studies at the Brookings Institution. She’s got a new book out this week, The Price of Democracy: The Revolutionary Power of Taxation in American History, which explores how the story of American democracy is a story about taxes, from the Revolutionary fight against taxation without representation, to Progressive efforts to make the consolidation of extreme wealth impossible, to the conservative argument that taxation is theft. Williamson told us about:
How the Boston Tea Party wasn’t a revolt against taxation, but an Occupy-style protest against the bailout of a too-big-to-fail company (and why we don’t hear the real story)
Why high-tax countries are more democratic than low-tax countries
Thomas Paine’s truly radical proposal for a progressive tax meant to make the accumulation of extreme wealth impossible
How fear of too much democracy led the framers of the Constitution to limit the federal government’s ability to collect taxes
How the idea of the American citizen as “taxpayer” has its roots in white supremacy — an invention of Redeemers trying to stop Reconstruction by starving efforts toward equality of funds — and how it damages our politics today
What happened to the funds the Trump White House impounded, and how truly antidemocratic that move is
And how to get Americans to embrace the idea of paying their share
If you pay taxes and want to know more about why, you won’t want to miss this one. Just click on the video player above to watch the conversation.
Our live shows are open to all. Afterward, to access the full video of this interview and the transcript, become a paying subscriber.
Your support is how we keep the lights on, pay our staff a fair wage, and build the new media we all deserve. When you subscribe, you help us reach more people.
Join us today, or if you are already a member, give a gift or group subscription.
