The Permanent Tax Revolt

How the Property Tax Transformed American Politics

Business & Finance, Finance & Investing, Taxation, Nonfiction, History, Americas, United States, 20th Century, Social & Cultural Studies, Political Science, Government
Cover of the book The Permanent Tax Revolt by Isaac William Martin, Stanford University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Isaac William Martin ISBN: 9780804763172
Publisher: Stanford University Press Publication: March 5, 2008
Imprint: Stanford University Press Language: English
Author: Isaac William Martin
ISBN: 9780804763172
Publisher: Stanford University Press
Publication: March 5, 2008
Imprint: Stanford University Press
Language: English

Tax cuts are such a pervasive feature of the American political landscape that the political establishment rarely questions them. Since 2001, Congress has abolished the tax on inherited wealth and passed a major income tax cut every year, including two of the three largest income tax cuts in American history despite a long drawn-out war and massive budget deficits. The Permanent Tax Revolt traces the origins of this anti-tax campaign to the 1970s, in particular, to the influence of grassroots tax rebellions as homeowners across the United States rallied to protest their local property taxes. Isaac William Martin advances the provocative new argument that the property tax revolt was not a conservative backlash against big government, but instead a defensive movement for government protection from the market. The tax privilege that the tax rebels were defending was in fact one of the largest government social programs in the postwar era. While the movement to defend homeowners' tax breaks drew much of its inspiration—and many of its early leaders—from the progressive movement for welfare rights, politicians on both sides of the aisle quickly learned that supporting big tax cuts was good politics. In time, American political institutions and the strategic choices made by the protesters ultimately channeled the movement toward the kind of tax relief favored by the political right, with dramatic consequences for American politics today.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Tax cuts are such a pervasive feature of the American political landscape that the political establishment rarely questions them. Since 2001, Congress has abolished the tax on inherited wealth and passed a major income tax cut every year, including two of the three largest income tax cuts in American history despite a long drawn-out war and massive budget deficits. The Permanent Tax Revolt traces the origins of this anti-tax campaign to the 1970s, in particular, to the influence of grassroots tax rebellions as homeowners across the United States rallied to protest their local property taxes. Isaac William Martin advances the provocative new argument that the property tax revolt was not a conservative backlash against big government, but instead a defensive movement for government protection from the market. The tax privilege that the tax rebels were defending was in fact one of the largest government social programs in the postwar era. While the movement to defend homeowners' tax breaks drew much of its inspiration—and many of its early leaders—from the progressive movement for welfare rights, politicians on both sides of the aisle quickly learned that supporting big tax cuts was good politics. In time, American political institutions and the strategic choices made by the protesters ultimately channeled the movement toward the kind of tax relief favored by the political right, with dramatic consequences for American politics today.

More books from Stanford University Press

Cover of the book The Failed Promise of Originalism by Isaac William Martin
Cover of the book Thinking Its Presence by Isaac William Martin
Cover of the book The Future and Its Enemies by Isaac William Martin
Cover of the book Pricing and Revenue Optimization by Isaac William Martin
Cover of the book Life Is a Startup by Isaac William Martin
Cover of the book New Destination Dreaming by Isaac William Martin
Cover of the book Money from Nothing by Isaac William Martin
Cover of the book Public Engagement for Public Education by Isaac William Martin
Cover of the book Jaws by Isaac William Martin
Cover of the book Patriotism and Public Spirit by Isaac William Martin
Cover of the book Myth of the Social Volcano by Isaac William Martin
Cover of the book Arms and Influence by Isaac William Martin
Cover of the book Voice and Vote by Isaac William Martin
Cover of the book The Nexus of Economics, Security, and International Relations in East Asia by Isaac William Martin
Cover of the book Dolores del Río by Isaac William Martin
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy