Tax Policy Through the Ages (Re-broadcast)

Taxation is among the central ways citizens interact with their government. On this episode of EconoFact Chats, Michael Klein speaks with Michael Keen of the International Monetary Fund and Joel Slemrod of the University of Michigan about their new book, Rebellion, Rascals and Revenue: Tax Follies and Wisdom Through the Ages, highlighting the challenges governments face when taxing their citizens, how taxes alter people’s behavior, and the difficulty in assessing who bears the burden of a particular tax. They also discuss the history of the income tax in the U.S., recent attempts by European countries to implement a wealth tax, and the challenges economists today face in shaping tax policy.

 

Michael Keen is deputy director of the Fiscal Affairs Department of the International Monetary Fund. Joel Slemrod is a professor at the University of Michigan. He is also a past president of the National Tax Association.