Contents:
Having said that, let me add some constructive comments: A fresh edition would be welcome. There is a strong presumption of the correctness of market solutions. While there is mention of externalities, a bit more elaboration on pigovian sumpturary taxes e. There is a general predisposition to treat total gdp as the maximand--and then add that moral judgments must be made with respect to issues such as income distribution.
Sydney Peters rated it really liked it Oct 12, The new edition of a popular guide to the key issues in tax reform, presented in a clear, nontechnical, and unbiased way. The fourth edition of this popular guide has been extensively revised to incorporate the latest information, covering such recent developments as the Bush administration's tax cuts which expire in and the alternatives proposed by the President's Advisory Panel on Federal Tax Reform. Abshir Olhaye rated it really liked it Feb 13, This book was required reading for a grad class on tax policy - but I was ecstatic to find that it is really accessible to lay people. There's a problem loading this menu right now. There was a problem filtering reviews right now.
Might it not be better to set an objective function more explicitly inclusive of moral judgment, such as a maximand of median personal income over an extended time. I have not read all other comments, and if these points have been made or refuted before, I apologize to the originator.
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I can't imagine a more comprehensive, non-partisan look at our tax system. Excellent for anyone who wants to understand how our complex tax system works. One person found this helpful. I used this book as a text for a masters-level tax policy class taught by the author, Joel Slemrod. Don't let this mislead you, the book is not written as a text, you will not find many graphs if any, and the language is clear and concise. The title tells you what it is: Maybe you don't think tax policy makes for beach reading, but this book is different. Slemrod is fair and not ideological, so tax policy and suggested reforms are given their proper treatment in here.
This book is NOT designed to be used in a screaming match with your relatives at Thanksgiving.
You may also find yourself questioning your own opinions as you work through it, and reinforcing other opinions with strong facts and economic argument. In an age where politicians spout off figures left and right that clearly contradict "the other side", being informed about the FACTS is essential.
This book is exactly that. It is very fair, and unbiased -- it doesn't start from a political position and interpret the facts through that lense. Rather it attempts to take a thorough look at the tax system, and examine the economics of it before drawing any political conclusion. An impressive piece of work. After reading this, I have quite an insight into how our tax policy is conducted and how it affects us tax payers.
Believe it or not, I felt somewhat powerful when finishing reading this due to the fact that it tells you how the tax policy works and introduces different alternatives to our current tax policy. Knowledge truly is power. I've always enjoyed public finance economics we're undoubtedly a small group and Professor Slemrod's with John Bakija 4th edition of "Taxing Ourselves" is a very comprehensive, fair-minded, and clear presentation of the issues involved with our current income tax system and proposals for new tax systems.
Given that the authors are economists, the analysis focuses on issues of economic efficiency and prosperity, and not so much on political or legal issues, and is clearly-written and devoid of jargon and thus should be accessible to anyone interested in the most efficient and fairest manner our government should finance itself.
The authors recognize that for many taxpayers, any "reformed" tax system is evaluated by how it will affect the taxes due for those taxpayers, but they assume their readers, being public policy-oriented, are more interested in how various tax systems would affect our nation, our economy, and our society. They also acknowledge that as economists, while they can help ascertain the costs, efficiency, impact on taxpayer behavior, and overall effects on economic prosperity and growth, the issue of fairness, e.
The authors evaluate our current income tax system both personal income tax and corporate income tax and review its strengths and weaknesses.
The new edition of a popular guide to the key issues in tax reform, presented in a To follow the debate over tax reform, the interested citizen is often forced to. bahana-line.com: Taxing Ourselves, 4th Edition: A Citizen's Guide to the Debate over Taxes (): Joel Slemrod, Jon Bakija: Books.
They later, in much detail, evaluate proposals for different tax systems including the more consumption-based national sales tax and value-added tax, as well as the "flat tax. Economists like the fact that consumption taxes as a substitute for progressive income taxes don't have the potentially disincentive effect of a progressive rate structure, don't discourage savings and investment, and in the words of one economist: The authors spend a fair amount of time assessing the "flat tax", a proposal that seemed to have more traction 10 or 15 years ago but less today.
There is much concern, however, that a revenue-neutral flat tax would substantially lower taxes for many wealthy people while increasing them for the middle class. In effect, the authors don't provide their "optimal tax"; instead they provide a pro and con assessment of the various proposed tax systems, as well as modifications to the existing income tax system, to enable us as informed citizens to make reasoned judgments.
Their hunch is that a complete overhaul of the current system is not likely, and that various modifications to the existing income tax system are more likely. In any event, economics suggests that a broader tax base, i. In overlaying the "fairness" issue, many would advocate a progressive tax rate structure on this system similar to what we have today ; others might suggest a proportional tax is more "fair. It's written in an entertaining style - not easy for a book about taxes - and yet it covers serious topics and is very informative.
It provides a great quick overview of tax policy to help the reader sift through the political rhetoric of the daily news with enough knowledge to know what to look for and how to start analyzing what's being said. This book was required reading for a grad class on tax policy - but I was ecstatic to find that it is really accessible to lay people. You won't find tons of technical jargon, and what jargon there is will be explained thoroughly.
I liked this book enough that I picked it up and read it again a year after my class ended. See all 21 reviews.
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From the title I th "Taxing Ourselves: From the title I think I was expecting something a little bit more high level - for the ordinary "citizen", ranging from the high school drop out to the multiple degree graduate student.
The big take aways that I gleamed was the importance on reading between the lines on tax policy proposals and understanding future impacts - for example, the impacts of transitioning to an all sales tax policy on the retired who based their savings on an income tax based policy. Also to look at the trickle down effect of proposed tax policies and potential tax shifting. The book provides an excellent example of tax shifting that includes two highways Highway A and Highway B where one Highway B is converted to a toll road and the common thought that this will only impact the drivers of Highway B as they now have to include this cost in their finances.
The unintended consequence is that drivers may now switch to utilizing Highway A, impacting original Highway A drivers with more congestion and potential delays. This really stuck with me and I wish the book held more of these simple examples. Another high point that stuck with me is the potential administrative costs that should be considered for each new tax policy, as well as the complexity and implications to filing.
Overall, the book provided a lot to think about. Jan 17, Meghan rated it liked it Shelves: This should be required reading, but maybe I think this because I love tax policy Outstanding tax policy volume by America's leading expert on taxes Joel Slemrod and co-author Jon Bakija. Intended for the non-technical reader, it is nevertheless full of well-explained concepts and facts. Nov 10, Katherine rated it it was amazing. The best book on taxes. And it's totally understandable if you don't have background in the subject.
Mar 03, valerie rated it really liked it. This is a great introduction to the basics of tax policy. Covers a lot of the economic aspects necessary for consideration in proposing reform. Don't bother if you've taken a class on revenue theory. A good hard read, but worth the effort. I'd be interested to read an updated version that accounted for ACA and recent changes in the tax code.
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