The Benefit and the Burden

”[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””[Bartlett’s] balanced, well-researched primer on America’s tax system… is a refreshing entree to a difficult subject. The book’s no-nonsense approach to tax policy proves surprisingly engaging.“–“The Economist””[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“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”“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”“Bruce Bartlett has waded into the debate on tax policy with a thoughtful argument for the necessity of reform.”–Tom Pauken, “The American Conservative”“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”“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”“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”“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

Bruce Bartlett is a columnist for the Economix blog of The New York Times, The Fiscal Times, and Tax Notes. Bartlett worked as staff director of the Joint Economic Committee of Congress, senior policy analyst in the Reagan White House, and as deputy assistant secretary for economic policy at the Treasury Department during the George H.W. Bush administration.