A Look At US Tax Policy History

"Tax policy shows what a society values.

"Tomorrow the Supreme Court will hear arguments in the case of Moore v. United States. The case illustrates today’s Supreme Court’s tendency to hear cases based on fictional stories to shape society to a right-wing ideology."

Click on the link for details. Ironically, the Republican Party today is against policies that many of them initially supported.

The lies of the Republicans to support economic inequality

Taxing The Rich 101

There's a great deal of smoke screening by the Republicans regarding the effects of taxing the rich more than they are now. Robert Reich, former US Secretary of Labor under President Clinton, is one of the top experts on economics and government policy. Click on the link below for an 8-minute video presenting the truth about taxing the rich:

The 12 Biggest Myths About Taxing The Rich

Race, Wealth, And Taxes

"Racial hierarchy in America is deeply embedded in big structural institutions. From housing to criminal justice to education, there are decades of scholarly work and research dissecting the lasting legacies of policies that disproportionately disenfranchise people of color. Now, tax law scholar Dorothy A. Brown has a mind-blowing new book about race and tax, uncovering the ways the tax code is constructed to build white wealth while impoverishing black Americans. In a conversation that is engaging, enlightening, and even laugh out loud funny (seriously), Brown lays out the culmination of her life’s work and explains why now could be the time to fix the system."

Click on the link before for a podcast on the subject:

The Whiteness of Wealth

Is Taxation Theft?

One doesn't have to go far in the "Trump Era" to find media personalities promoting the idea that taxation is theft, especially in financial media. This Wikipedia page presents the history and support of this ideology, along with representative statements supporting the legality and ethics of taxation. Also, click on the link below for a clear and succinct argument against the claim that taxation is theft:

No, it's not your money: why taxation isn't theft

Applying this taxation ethic, using public funds from taxes for various societal benefits is supported by science as cost-effective. John Oliver gets it.

The Taxation Debate

There probably is no greater point of contention in politics and economics than tax policy. While it is clear that the US Constitution gives Congress the authority to levy federal taxes, whether such should be a "flat" income tax (same percentage of income for all) versus a so-called progressive income tax (gradual increase in the percentage of tax according to income), there is a legitimate debate. Those who favor the "flat" tax usually modify it through an exemption of income up to a certain level and include various "loopholes." Those who favor the progressive income tax frequently point to the precedence for such in legal decisions historically. Click on the link below for a legal analysis of the issue and the support for the progressive tax.

"To Lay and Collect Taxes": The Constitutional Case for Progressive Taxation