Millions of Americans file their federal income tax returns this week. These pieces from our archive examine the incredible stakes of tax policy—from Emmanuel Saez and Gabriel Zucman’s powerful case for a wealth tax to Felicia Wong’s chronicle of anti-tax politics, Elizabeth Anderson’s defense of Thomas Paine’s vision of social insurance, T. M. Scanlon’s critique of the libertarian argument for low taxes and limited government, Timothy Weaver’s postmortem on Trump’s “opportunity zones,” and more.
Half a Century of Anti-Tax Orthodoxy Is Wrong
Taxation is at the heart of any serious economic growth policy.
Yes, Tax the Rich—and Also the Merely Affluent
For years the left has rallied around taxing the 1 percent, but this group is too narrow.
Bond Villains
How a little-understood feature of urban finance—municipal bonds—fuels racial inequality.
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