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The Benefit and The Burden

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The Benefit and The Burden
Tax Reform-Why We Need It and What It Will Take  
By Bruce Bartlett
This edition: Hardcover, 288 pages
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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 clarity, increased its inequity, and frustrated our ability to govern ourselves.

At its core, any tax system is in place to raise the revenue needed to pay the government’s bills. But where that revenue should come from raises crucial questions: Should our tax code be progressive, with the wealthier paying more than the poor, and if so, to what extent? Should we tax income or consumption or both? Of the various ideas proposed by economists and politicians—from tax increases to tax cuts, from a VAT to a Fair Tax—what will work and won’t? By tracing the history of our own tax system and by assessing the way other countries have solved similar problems, Bartlett explores the surprising answers to all of these questions, giving a sense of the tax code’s many benefits—and its inevitable burdens.

Tax reform will be a major issue debated in the years ahead. Growing budget deficits and the expiration of various tax cuts loom. Reform, once a philosophical dilemma, is turning into a practical crisis. By framing the various tax philosophies that dominate the debate, Bartlett explores the distributional, technical, and political advantages and costs of the various proposals and ideas that will come to dominate America’s political conversation in the years to come.
"A lucid analysis... a provocative book... remarkably successful in interweaving the underlying economics of the US tax system with the political choices that have made it what it is."
-- Financial Times
"Today we’re living in a country deeply divided between winners and losers. Nowhere is that more evident than in our tax system--so distorted by loopholes, exemptions, credits, and deductions favoring the already rich and powerful that it no longer can raise the money needed to pay the government’s bills. Among the people who saw this crisis coming was the conservative economist Bruce Bartlett...  The Benefit and the Burden is a layman’s guide through the jungle of a tax system that, thanks to rented politicians and anti-tax ideologues like Grover Norquist, enable the one percent to make off like bandits while our national debt soars sky-high."
-- Bill Moyers
“[Bartlett’s] analysis of tax burdens and policies in modern times is essential reading for anyone following the present debate about income inequality and taxation.”
-- Worth
"For a vivid picture on how evolving tax laws have wrecked America's fiscal standing, consult Bruce Bartlett's new book."
-- Froma Harrop, The Providence Journal
"A great introduction for anyone who doesn't really know much about the U.S. tax system and wants to learn the basics. It's clear, short, and a quick read."
-- Kevin Drum, Mother Jones
"If Obama wants to win this election, he needs to embrace radical tax reform. The shape and structure of sane reforms is already out there, as Bruce Bartlett explains."
-- Andrew Sullivan, The Daily Beast
"[Bartlett] writes beautifully and seems to have no trouble avoiding getting caught up in the many complexities of tax policy."
-- Len Burman, Forbes and Professor of Economics at Syracuse
"In a political system beset by ignorance and misinformation, delivering basic information to interested citizens is a worthy goal. And Bartlett does it very well."
-- Joseph J. Thorndike, Tax Notes
“[Bartlett’s] balanced, well-researched primer on America’s tax system... is a refreshing entrée to a difficult subject. The book’s no-nonsense approach to tax policy proves surprisingly engaging.”
-- The Economist
"Bruce Bartlett has waded into the debate on tax policy with a thoughtful argument for the necessity of reform."
-- Tom Pauken, The American Conservative
"Bartlett’s book is a clear and comprehensive overview of today’s complicated tax system."
-- Robert J. Samuelson, The Washington Post
"An excellent, wide-ranging guide to what matters about the U.S. federal income tax system, its history and problems, and where it might go next. Bartlett, who has been a favorite commentator of mine for many years, does a really excellent job of providing a lucid review that deserves... broad readership."
-- Daniel Shaviro, Wayne Perry Professor of Taxation at New York University Law School
"In his wonderful new study... Bruce Bartlett offers a useful thumbnail history on the federal government's seemingly haphazard role in the post-WWII evolution of the private health insurance industry."
-- Scott Galupo, U.S. News & World Report
"It is to Bartlett's credit as a writer that he makes this topic accessible, while showing great aplomb in dismantling many of the myths and misconceptions that exist about taxes."
-- Noah Kristula-Green, The Daily Beast
"Bartlett gives a broad overview of federal income-tax policy. He argues that people want more government than they have been willing to pay for, and chronic deficits are no longer sustainable. He dismisses Grover Norquist’s mission to 'starve the beast' of government as nonsense but favors reducing America’s corporate tax rate because only Japan has a higher one. He sets forth political conditions necessary for reform: courage for Democrats and compromise for Republicans."
-- David Cay Johnston, The American Prospect
HARROP: Being rich not Mitt's political problem
Daily News Journal, January 30, 2012
...not true. For a vivid picture on how evolving tax laws have wrecked America's fiscal standing, consult Bruce Bartlett's new book, "The Benefit and the Burden: Tax Reform — Why We Need It and What It Will Take." An economist in the Reagan ...
Froma Harrop: Does Romney have the courage to tackle taxes?
Sun-Journal, January 28, 2012
...not true. For a vivid picture on how evolving tax laws have wrecked America's fiscal standing, consult Bruce Bartlett's new book, "The Benefit and the Burden: Tax Reform — Why We Need It and What It Will Take." An economist in the Reagan ...
Bruce Bartlett's Accessible and Insightful Guide to Tax Reform
Forbes.com, January 26, 2012
...For The Wealthy And A Bigger Deficit Howard Gleckman Contributor Obama Disappoints The Policy Wonks Howard Gleckman Contributor Bruce Bartlett showed just how much he understands Washington by arranging to have his new book, The ...
Romney enjoys outrageous loophole
MySanAntonio, January 26, 2012
...not true. For a vivid picture on how evolving tax laws have wrecked America's fiscal standing, consult Bruce Bartlett's new book, “The Benefit and the Burden: Tax Reform — Why We Need It and What It Will Take.” An economist in the , ...
Columnist: Does Mitt have guts to turn tax return into a lesson?
Des Moines Register, January 25, 2012
...not true. For a vivid picture on how evolving tax laws have wrecked America’s fiscal standing, consult Bruce Bartlett’s new book, “The Benefit and the Burden: Tax Reform — Why We Need It and What It Will Take.” An economist in the ...
What Mitt Romney's returns tell us about the nation's tax system
Seattle Times, January 24, 2012
...not true. For a vivid picture on how evolving tax laws have wrecked America's fiscal standing, consult Bruce Bartlett's new book, "The Benefit and the Burden: Tax Reform ? Why We Need It and What It Will Take." An economist in the Reagan ...
HARROP: Being rich is not Romney's problem
North County Times, January 24, 2012
...not true. For a vivid picture on how evolving tax laws have wrecked America's fiscal standing, consult Bruce Bartlett's new book, "The Benefit and the Burden: Tax Reform ---- Why We Need It and What It Will Take." An economist in the Reagan ...
Bruce Bartlett's Freakishly Good Tax Reform Timing
Mother Jones, January 24, 2012
...Last night I read Bruce Bartlett's new book, The Benefit and The Burden: Tax Reform-Why We Need It and What It Will Take . It's written as a primer on American taxes, and it ...
Economix Blog: Bruce Bartlett: How to Avoid Reinventing the Wheel on Tax Reform
New York Times, January 24, 2012
...Taken together, these suggest that something might actually happen. That’s the premise of my new book, “The Benefit and the Burden: Tax Reform — Why We Need It and What It Will Take” (published today by Simon & Schuster). Like many ...
Being Rich Is Not Mitt's Political Problem
Creators.com, January 24, 2012
...not true. For a vivid picture on how evolving tax laws have wrecked America's fiscal standing, consult Bruce Bartlett's new book, "The Benefit and the Burden: Tax Reform — Why We Need It and What It Will Take." An economist in the Reagan ...