Daylight Robbery: How Tax Shaped Our Past and Will Change Our Future

The first book to offer an accessible, engaging and entertaining explanation of the principles of taxation around the world

For most people, tax is something we pay, simply because we must. We seldom think much more about it, in fact, tax is something we'd rather forget. But the reality is that tax is the key to power. No government can survive without tax revenue—it is the fuel that every state, large and small, runs on. Many of the problems we face today, not least the enormous wealth gaps between rich and poor and between generations, can be traced back to our systems of tax. If you tax windows, many will sacrifice their daylight. If you tax cigarettes, some people will choose not to smoke, others will take up smuggling. Tax companies too much and many will relocate off-shore. In Daylight Robbery, Dominic Frisby will offer an alternative vision of a system that is as old as civilization itself. It will take you on a whirlwind journey through the history of taxation, from the Ancient Mesopotamia right up to the present day, explaining the key dynamics of taxation around the world and arguing that governments are going to have to radically change who they tax and how if they are to succeed in the future.

1130590157
Daylight Robbery: How Tax Shaped Our Past and Will Change Our Future

The first book to offer an accessible, engaging and entertaining explanation of the principles of taxation around the world

For most people, tax is something we pay, simply because we must. We seldom think much more about it, in fact, tax is something we'd rather forget. But the reality is that tax is the key to power. No government can survive without tax revenue—it is the fuel that every state, large and small, runs on. Many of the problems we face today, not least the enormous wealth gaps between rich and poor and between generations, can be traced back to our systems of tax. If you tax windows, many will sacrifice their daylight. If you tax cigarettes, some people will choose not to smoke, others will take up smuggling. Tax companies too much and many will relocate off-shore. In Daylight Robbery, Dominic Frisby will offer an alternative vision of a system that is as old as civilization itself. It will take you on a whirlwind journey through the history of taxation, from the Ancient Mesopotamia right up to the present day, explaining the key dynamics of taxation around the world and arguing that governments are going to have to radically change who they tax and how if they are to succeed in the future.

19.95 In Stock
Daylight Robbery: How Tax Shaped Our Past and Will Change Our Future

Daylight Robbery: How Tax Shaped Our Past and Will Change Our Future

by Dominic Frisby
Daylight Robbery: How Tax Shaped Our Past and Will Change Our Future

Daylight Robbery: How Tax Shaped Our Past and Will Change Our Future

by Dominic Frisby

Paperback

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$19.95 
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Overview

The first book to offer an accessible, engaging and entertaining explanation of the principles of taxation around the world

For most people, tax is something we pay, simply because we must. We seldom think much more about it, in fact, tax is something we'd rather forget. But the reality is that tax is the key to power. No government can survive without tax revenue—it is the fuel that every state, large and small, runs on. Many of the problems we face today, not least the enormous wealth gaps between rich and poor and between generations, can be traced back to our systems of tax. If you tax windows, many will sacrifice their daylight. If you tax cigarettes, some people will choose not to smoke, others will take up smuggling. Tax companies too much and many will relocate off-shore. In Daylight Robbery, Dominic Frisby will offer an alternative vision of a system that is as old as civilization itself. It will take you on a whirlwind journey through the history of taxation, from the Ancient Mesopotamia right up to the present day, explaining the key dynamics of taxation around the world and arguing that governments are going to have to radically change who they tax and how if they are to succeed in the future.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780241360842
Publisher: Penguin Random House UK
Publication date: 02/01/2021
Pages: 288
Product dimensions: 5.08(w) x 7.80(h) x (d)

About the Author

Dominic Frisby is perhaps the world's only financial writer and comedian. He writes a weekly investment column for Moneyweek about gold and finance and has also written for publications including the Guardian and the Independent. He speaks at conferences around the world on the future of finance. Frisby hosts various podcasts, performs stand-up comedy and is a recognized voiceover artist. His previous books include Life After the State and Bitcoin: the Future of Money?

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Daylight Robbery 1

Chapter 2 How an Extraordinary Situation Could Offer an Extraordinary Solution 6

Chapter 3 Why Tax? 17

Chapter 4 The Cradle of Taxation 24

Chapter 5 Judaism, Christianity, Islam - and Tax 34

Chapter 6 The Greatest Constitutional Document of All Time 44

Chapter 7 How the Black Death Changed the Tax Structure of Europe 49

Chapter 8 How Taxes Gave Us the Modern Nation States We Know Today 63

Chapter 9 War, Debt, Inflation, Famine - and Income Tax 81

Chapter 10 The Real Reason for the US Civil War 91

Chapter 11 The Birth of Big Government 106

Chapter 12 The Second World War, the US and the Nazis 117

Chapter 13 The Evolution of Social Democracy 126

Chapter 14 The Unofficial Taxes: Debt and Inflation 137

Chapter 15 The Future of Work 146

Chapter 16 Crypto Money: The Taxman's Nightmare 160

Chapter 17 Digital Breaks Free 174

Chapter 18 Data: The Taxman's New Friend 184

Chapter 19 The System is Broken 197

Chapter 20 Designing Utopia 209

Acknowledgements 223

Bibliography 225

Notes and Sources 255

Index 275

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