Review - New Book by Bruce Bartlett - "The Benfit And The Burden."

Review - New Book by Bruce Bartlett

Friday, September 07, 2012

Media Photo

This austere book is one that I would like to have published about tax reform myself apart from the Hall / Rabushka literature on the flat tax that has appeared every so often. The book begins with a brief illustration of what federal and state taxes are about in the U.S., and the tradition of taxes in this country as started in the old world, what progressive taxes are and how citizens are taxed in other countries in comparison to ours. The tables throughout the text are extremely helpful in understanding the journalistic illustrations in this book that can be quite involved and detailed, even burdensome without the tables.



Most of the book itself is a primer on how to analyze tax policy, be it
within the U.S. or Europe or other countries with different systems of
taxation. Even the character of income issue in our own tax code, an issue
of some sophistication and ongoing debate, is illustrated for the reader.
This text, primarily written for the concerned citizen who believes not only
in federal spending reforms, but in reforms in the system of federal revenue
collection, provides a slate of the different aspects of tax reform, both
historied and recent, and the different types of taxes our leaders have
considered over time with the idea of reforming the U.S. tax collection
system. Content runs the gamut from court cases and "what is income," to
systemic / historical changes, to the various radical reform proposals that
have been publicly and privately presented by politicians over time. The
appendices are worth reading through as well, and the overriding purpose of
the book to make our tax system and the prospect of tax reform more
understandable and transparent to the ordinary taxpayer (in view of
editorials, opinions, legislation, court cases and the like) is accomplished
while delivering content as well for those technically educated about taxes,
related policies, government resource allocation, the decision - making
process in the capitol and so on. Everyone interested in social reform, the
social sciences, law and regulation, decision - making and the polity should
read this book. In short, a great text if you file a tax return and are
interested in modernizing the collections process through the U.S. Treasury
and your state treasury.



The book in part seems to have been inspired, as shown in chapter 5 and
chapter 9, among others, by the impact of the Bush era tax cuts and cites
Bush officials on the effect of the cuts that in their identities have to do
with the current twin deficits and their magnitude and impact upon current
and future revenue collection / tax policies. While the Bush administration
encouraged policies to increase home - ownership and investment gains, and
these goals were substantively and wholly accomplished to the extent
possible, and with the help of tax relief and tax reform, the current polity
complains these were too expensive for anyone's taste and have weakened
government finances for the time being. When one examines the scope and
purpose of the Bush tax cuts and reforms, it is important to note that
during those years choices were given to people about what to do with their
capital and wages, and given the human condition some, in fact a good part

of the gains people experienced in property and other assets in addition to their increased wages, options and pension and other plans, were the result of a good amount individual speculation and utilitarian waste, even to the extent of investors and homeowners cutting and running when asset prices dipped in the late 2000's. This in all evidence was a choice of many asset - holders who were making leaps and bounds financially, at least at first, but who took risks and denigrated particular types of assets and / or the taxes on their gains when they were not as expected individually. This is an implication in this text of the new search for tax reform and other, popular trends that commentators and voters, citizens and wage - earners alike are talking about. Thus, the publication of such a provocative text in an election year will enhance the overall reform discussion should any candidate read it and choose to speak about his related views. Since the funding of federal programs like MediCare and Social Security now depend to a great extent on future improvements to the tax system and the time is again now for the parties to play their hands on the subject, such literature is propitious and timely, and deserves at least leadership among academics and federal officials in this discussion.