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14th out of 100 books
—
2 voters
The Benefit and The Burden: Tax Reform-Why We Need It and What It Will Take
A thoughtful and surprising argument for American tax reform, arguably the most overdue political debate facing the nation, from one of the most respected political and economic thinkers, advisers, and writers of our time. The United States Tax Code has undergone no serious reform since 1986. Since then, loopholes, exemptions, credits, and deductions have distorted its cla...more
Hardcover, 288 pages
Published
January 24th 2012
by Simon & Schuster
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I thoroughly enjoyed Bartlett's The New American Economy: The Failure of Reaganomics and a New Way Forward, which gave a solid introduction to Bartlett's views of Keynesianism, supply-side economics, and tax policy. That book had the virtue of being an apostate's manifesto--one of the architects of Reaganomics in the 1980s repudiated his former position and argued for a mix of tax increases and spending cuts in order to reduce the deficit and the national debt. It is an excellent book, and I hig...more
Very glad to have read this book on the U.S. Tax system and options for tax reform. Bruce Bartlett, the author was an appointee under the Reagan Administration and also worked under George H. Bush (#1)
After giving an overview of basics about the tax system and how our tax system compares with other countries, including a description of U.S. corporation taxes and capital gains taxes and a whole chapter on the ineffective Bush tax cuts, the author makes a strong pitch for a consumption tax such as...more
After giving an overview of basics about the tax system and how our tax system compares with other countries, including a description of U.S. corporation taxes and capital gains taxes and a whole chapter on the ineffective Bush tax cuts, the author makes a strong pitch for a consumption tax such as...more
I picked this up after Bruce Bartlett's interview on the Daily Show. I didn't know anything about him, but he seemed like a reasonable, knowledgeable guy. I only found out when I told my brother I was reading this that he was an adviser to Presidents Reagan and Bush I, which made me a little nervous, but I found the book to be a fairly even-handed, comprehensible book about tax policy. (There are hints of his politics, but he points out flaws in most people's pet theories, including his own.)
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The Benefit and The Burden: Tax Reform Why We Need It and What it Will Take by Bruce Bartlett
“The Benefit and The Burden” is a very solid, no-nonsense book that makes the compelling case for tax reform and what it will take to do so. In an even-handed, non-partisan manner Bruce Bartlett skillfully makes the US Tax System accessible to the masses. Bartlett's background in government economics and having worked on the staffs of Congressmen Ron Paul and Jack Kemp and as deputy assistant secretary...more
“The Benefit and The Burden” is a very solid, no-nonsense book that makes the compelling case for tax reform and what it will take to do so. In an even-handed, non-partisan manner Bruce Bartlett skillfully makes the US Tax System accessible to the masses. Bartlett's background in government economics and having worked on the staffs of Congressmen Ron Paul and Jack Kemp and as deputy assistant secretary...more
Some things I liked about Bruce Bartlett's book about tax reform are as follows:
1. The writing is clipped, precise and unadorned. For a book about, of all things, taxes, this is a welcome decision and it works to have the book broken down into concise chapters that stick to a topic, cover the material and then move on. Bartlett doesn't waste time trying to over-explain everything, relying on the reading comprehension of the reader to draw the necessary conclusions.
2. Bartlett takes a refreshingl...more
1. The writing is clipped, precise and unadorned. For a book about, of all things, taxes, this is a welcome decision and it works to have the book broken down into concise chapters that stick to a topic, cover the material and then move on. Bartlett doesn't waste time trying to over-explain everything, relying on the reading comprehension of the reader to draw the necessary conclusions.
2. Bartlett takes a refreshingl...more
I saw the author on Stewart and he was convincing enough in his five minutes to sell me a book. This analysis of the US and in some cases international tax systems is a little bit like a text book for the uninitiated, topics are simply stated but I still found myself having to read certain passages a second time. Readers could easily have differnt takeaways from this book, it certainly reinforced my opinion that the only way out of current perceived debt crisis is to end the Bush tax cuts when t...more
A concise introduction to the current US tax system and the various proposals for tax reform. (Note that this is a public policy book, not a "how to" manual for taxes.) Explanations are rather spare and unelaborated; I had to re-read a few passages to get the gist of what he was saying. The author won't win any prizes for his prose, which is straightforward but dry, yet he writes with authority and is even-handed. He worked for Republican congressmen in the Reagan–Bush I era, but he has no affin...more
An incredible read.. This book will enlighten and enrage you. You will know more about tax policy than most politicians by the time you finish this book.
The author worked on tax policy for both Reagan and Clinton and details 20+ chapters of specific ideas, concepts, and issues around many commonly heard tax/money issues. Each chapter ends with at least one entire page of "additional reading" and references. This is very detailed and an I would like to have every politician read this and pass a t...more
The author worked on tax policy for both Reagan and Clinton and details 20+ chapters of specific ideas, concepts, and issues around many commonly heard tax/money issues. Each chapter ends with at least one entire page of "additional reading" and references. This is very detailed and an I would like to have every politician read this and pass a t...more
Learn about taxing from a few different perspectives. The author was one of Reagan's top advisors, but now pushes a Democratic Party version of taxes (that is, more taxing). Written before the 2012 election, some of the book talks about if a republican president is elected with a democratic congress.
Interesting to learn about the history of modern governmental tax levies and how taxing can be hidden from the public in many forms. A lasting impression of this book for me was that politicians can...more
Interesting to learn about the history of modern governmental tax levies and how taxing can be hidden from the public in many forms. A lasting impression of this book for me was that politicians can...more
Excellent history of USA Federal tax policy and how a VAT might work here. I loved his line where he thinks the Republicans and Democrats should just exchange their complaints about a VAT because then they'd be consistent re. their tax policy views, and like VAT! (Republicans take the Democrats' objection and make it similar to the Bush tax cuts and other regressive taxes they support: "it's regressive" and Democrats take the Republicans' objection and make it similar to other revenue raisers th...more
Before reading this book, I didn't think that there was an alternative tax system available, because I'd thought of the VAT as a money machine, and no other tax systems were worth the effort of reform (IMHO). Now I see that the VAT is actually the way to go. Before you decry me as a VAT enthusiast, take note that I used to think the VAT was too much to pay (from exposure in Australia and Europe). However, the establishment of the VAT plus the abolishment of income tax might actually be what this...more
I want to say that it was a little simplified at points. However, having taken more than a few tax courses while in law school, I'm probably not the target audience for many of those parts. I also would have appreciated better citing. While there are end notes of a sort at the end of each chapter, they're more "further reading" than they are citations. I appreciate being guided to sources which may help me better understand the nuance of tax policy, I found myself sometimes frustrated by the ina...more
It is amazing how little most of us understadn about the tax system and how governments are funded. I found this book to be at just the right level for me. It explained the basics, but it did not hesitate to get into some complicated concepts. I probably understood 85 - 90% of it. A little disheartening because there are some big hurdles to overcome to return to some semblence of fiscal sanity. The bright side is that a lot of solutions have been tried elsewhere, so we do not need to reinvent th...more
While I cannot immediately agree with Mr. Bartlett's position, there is much of value in reading this book. First, Mr. Bartlett is able to write of complex, complicated matters in a way that is marked by clarity. This book is a great primer of the territory. Second, Mr. Bartlett clearly marks out what are his biases. This is a good place to start in dealing with an issue that is going to hit all of us in the US in our faces with the force of a jackhammer and much sooner than we care to think.
This book is by an adviser to Jack Kemp and President Reagan. It is an excellent primer for anyone wishing to know how our tax system has developed, its strengths, and weaknesses. It also discusses the political problems associated with tax reform. It reaches some surprising conclusions while it presents the problems in a reasonable and fair-minded manner. It is easy to read and a quality book.
I, surprisingly, really enjoyed this book. It's short, easy to read, and really informative. It helped me to understand a lot of things I sort of kinda knew (taxes help you buy houses, but how? tax credits and itimizations, etc). And it presented it all with limited jargon for all us non-economists. Made me want to study tax reform, although didn't make me very optimistic we'd fix the problems anytime soon.
The book is slightly oversimplified in places, due to the broad scope of the book. Overall, however, I highly recommend the book for anyone who is interested in tax reform specifically or our country's fiscal health generally. Although the author tends to start from a right-of-center position, he pulls no punches against the right (GWB especially) and is very evenhanded in his critiques.
Inconsistent- some parts written at an elementary level, other parts more sophisticated. A mishmash of topics.The best parts of the book - by far- are when he describes his experiences with the tax law development process.
Concise and balanced report on the recent history of tax policy including ideas for tax reform. Really helps you understand how tortuous and complicated the tax code is at present.
Who knew a book about the tax code could be interesting. Bartlett’s book explains the history, as well as exemptions, loopholes, deductions, how they came about, and what the repercussions are. He explains how taxes work in other countries. Bartlett advocates a consumption tax, but does not give much hope of that happening.
Straight forward arguments and recommended readings to inform the American citizen about the intricacies of tax reform and its implications.
If you don't have any exposure to tax policy, this might be a good place to start, but otherwise it's quite uninteresting and rudimentary.
A comprehensive and highly readable account of a very dry and boring topic.
I enjoyed this. I'm not a tax scholar, and this is a layman's overview of the works of a lot of experts. The book is non-partisan, although the author makes very pointed recommendations for reforms that he believes need to happen. I learned quite a bit.
The best primer on Tax Policy I have ever read.
Credible segment on Moyers & Company, 10 Feb 2012
Good read for what it was. Good background and history. Interesting to note that during the Eisenhower era the top 1% paid over 50% in taxes and people call that the golden era. Now that same top 1% pay way less and we are in such a mess. Tax reform is needed but if you could get Washington or the state capital politicos to agree on how to get there you would be the greatest motivator ever. In this politically charged and devisive climate we are lucky if we get a non-binding resolution to wish e...more
Author interviewed on The Daily Show.
Written in a way that is easy to understand. The author was fair and honest in his assessment.
Author provides clear, bipartisan explanation of how our current tax system came to be so complex, and understandable ideas for reform.
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Tyler Group: Bush-tijdperk belastingverlagingen verlopen te ontwijken fiscale klif – quora | 2 | 1 | Nov 08, 2012 11:54pm | |
| The Tyler Group: Bush-tijdperk belastingverlagingen verlopen te ontwijken fiscale klif –design21sdn | 2 | 1 | Nov 08, 2012 06:26pm | |
| The Tyler Group: Bush-tijdperk belastingverlagingen verlopen te ontwijken fiscale klif – goodreads | 2 | 1 | Nov 08, 2012 12:09am |
Librarian Note: There are multiple authors on Goodreads with this name.
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