Tuesday, May 25, 2004
Eugene Steuerle has published Contemporary U.S. Tax Policy (Urban Institute Press, 2004). Here are some Tax Prof reviews:
• Alan Auerback (UC-Berkeley): “This is an accessible and engrossing analysis of recent tax policy by an important participant in the process, full of useful facts and plenty of interesting anecdotes. The U.S. tax system’s current state may be difficult to justify, but it will be easier to understand after one reads Steuerle’s account of how and why things happened.”
• Evelyn Brody (Chicago-Kent): “The pre-eminent writer on public finance today brings us a succinct and thorough guide to the exigent yet contested social issue of tax policy. In his clear and compelling prose, Gene Steuerle masterfully reviews the history of endless ‘reform’ and offers prescriptions for the future. In unpacking the legislative and administrative process, he identifies the major players, their principles and ideologies, and the winners and losers. This practical volume is essential reading for policy makers as well as practitioners and students of economics, law, accounting, policy studies, and political science.”
• Daniel Halperin (Harvard): “I am a long-time fan of Gene Steuerle and his work, most importantly his ability to bring clarity and balance to a debate that is often dominated by partisanship and bias. Contemporary U.S. Tax Policy provides a compelling examination of how theoretical arguments have blended with powerful constituencies to shape and reshape tax policy over the past 50 years. Academics as well as tax lawyers should read this concise history.”
• Ronald Pearlman (Georgetown): “I think it fair to say that treasury I [the treasury proposal leading to the tax reform act of 1986] would not have moved forward had it not been for [Gene’s] early leadership.”
Newsweek’s Robert Samuelson notes that the book “addresses the insistent question: Why is the federal tax system such a mess? The answer, in a word, is democracy.”
