Podcasts by The Rosetta Stone to the US Code: A New History of Taxation

The Rosetta Stone to the US Code: A New History of Taxation

This series of lectures by tax historian Charles Adams—based on original research—illuminates episodes in light of the tendency of government to tax beyond the point where people will tolerate. This is the fascinating story of how taxes have shaped history.
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The Rosetta Stone to the US Code: A New History of Taxation
1. The Making of a Tax Historian from 2004-09-06T00:00

Charles Adams, the tax writer, tells young people to get a liberal education and go with the flow. He took tax law and he taught history. He saw that there was a tax story behind every event. Ta...

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The Rosetta Stone to the US Code: A New History of Taxation
2. The Bible's World of Taxes from 2004-09-06T00:00

Adams begins this session with facts about taxation being the basis of the Civil War, not slavery. If the British had not taxed the colonies, the colonies would have remained with Britain and sl...

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The Rosetta Stone to the US Code: A New History of Taxation
3. The Kaleidoscopic Romans from 2004-09-06T00:00

Adams begins with a few tidbits: taxation problems caused the end of Egypt and the taxes that the Greeks put on the Jews were an excessive one-third. Sulla of Rome created special tax agents, es...

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The Rosetta Stone to the US Code: A New History of Taxation
4. The Middle Ages from 2004-09-06T00:00

Adams speaks of how sad he is for law to have turned from a profession into a simple craft with advertising and politics. He also opposes the medical system. It killed several family members. Listen

The Rosetta Stone to the US Code: A New History of Taxation
5. The Swiss: From William Tell to No Tell from 2004-09-06T00:00

King Solomon, king of Israel from 970 to 931 BC, lusted after women as he grew older. He had a thousand wives and concubines. Solomon spent tax moneys for luxurious palaces and his harem. His tr...

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The Rosetta Stone to the US Code: A New History of Taxation
6. Tax Revolt in the Netherlands from 2004-09-06T00:00

In this lecture Adams talks about the Enlightenment which was the philosophy of the eighteenth century. It was the high water mark of man’s thinking on taxes. They were wise; we’re n...

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The Rosetta Stone to the US Code: A New History of Taxation
7. After the Magna Carta from 2004-09-06T00:00

Does liberty sow the seeds of its own destruction? Yes, by consenting to excessive taxes. Government will not want to give up the power. Taxes were to be only for common defense, not offensive w...

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The Rosetta Stone to the US Code: A New History of Taxation
8. The Civil War from 2004-09-06T00:00

A tariff set the stage for the American Civil War. The quarrel between the North and the South was a fiscal quarrel, not a war over slavery. The tariff of 1828 was called the tariff of abominati...

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The Rosetta Stone to the US Code: A New History of Taxation
9. American Taxation from 2004-09-06T00:00

The Laffer Curve from the 1920s reflects the truism that a 77 percent tax rate produces the same amount of revenue as a 7 percent tax rate. Once the tax rate exceeds twenty-five percent, less wi...

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The Rosetta Stone to the US Code: A New History of Taxation
10. Learning from the Past: What History Teaches from 2004-09-06T00:00

Adams suggests nine reform items to tame the tax monster: 1) tear down the spy system, 2) establish a crime for tax extortion as well as a civil action for damages, 3) establish a civil action f...

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