Untangling the Income Tax

David F. Bradford

Published by Harvard University Press 1986

Untangling the Income Tax

David F. Bradford

https://doi.org/10.4159/harvard.9780674733930

Overview
Contents

About this book

Tax reform is perennially under discussion, always a red hot political topic. Many people have the uneasy feeling that they are being taxed unfairly, and the complexity of the laws, plus newspaper articles on millionaires who cleverly avoid paying taxes, are likely to confirm these suspicions. But any moves toward reform are handicapped because almost nobody really understands how the income tax works, let alone what might be gained by trying alternative systems.

In this highly readable new book, one of America’s foremost tax economists helps the reader develop a sound grasp of how the design of tax rules affects the real sharing of tax burdens, and the performance of the economy as a whole. He also outlines various reform proposals, and shows how they would change the way money now moves out of the taxpayer’s pocket and into government coffers.

David F. Bradford’s central theme is the choice between a tax based on the notion of income, as tax theorists understand the term, and one based on consumption. In fact, our so-called income tax is a mixture of consumption- and income-based systems, and as such is less effective than either purer approach might be. Bradford examines in depth the idea of income, emphasizing the value judgments to be made in defining it for tax purposes, and explains why some existing tax rules are better suited to implementing tax on consumption—as, for example, the way pensions and owner-occupied houses (the bulk of savings for most Americans) are treated by the tax code.

He shows in non-technical terms how the burden of taxes is actually borne (as opposed to who mails in the money), and shows how taxes impose costs beyond the amount sent to the government. Finally, he suggests ways in which the income tax system might be changed in the interest of fairness, efficiency, and simplicity.

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
Foreword Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	vii
Acknowledgments Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	ix
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	xi
Introduction Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
I. TAX CONCEPTS Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	13
II. ANALYSIS Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	131
III. TAX REFORM Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	283
Appendix. The Income Tax in Context Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	337
Bibliography Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	370
Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	377

(Deutsch)

Language: English
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Edition: Reprint 2013
Audience: College/higher education; Professional and scholarly;
Pages
- Front matter: 10
- Main content: 386
Illustrations
- Other: Illustrated
Keywords: United States.; Income tax -- United States.; USA.; Income tax.

eBook

Published: October 1, 2013
ISBN: 9780674733930

Hardcover

Published: December 11, 2013
ISBN: 9780674733923