Tax Chats

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Annie Lowrey and taxes on time Oct 11, 2026

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Jeff and Scott talk with Annie Lowrey, staff writer at The Atlantic and author of the new book The Time Tax: How the Government Wastes Our Time—and How to Fix It. Annie explains how government bureaucracy imposes a hidden tax on Americans through paperwork, waiting, and complicated administrative requirements. We discuss why these burdens often fall hardest on lower-income Americans, how tax filing fits into the broader problem, and what government could do to give people back their time. Scott complains about his interactions with the government.

The Everywhere Millionaire: A Chat with Owen Zidar and Eric Zwick about their new book Sep 15, 2026

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Jeff and Scott talk with economists Owen Zidar and Eric Zwick about their new book, The Everywhere Millionaire: Who Is Really Rich in America and How They Got There, in which they use vast amounts of tax return data to gather evidence that paints a picture of who America’s rich really are and how they got there. It’s not just public-company CEOs, but franchise owners and car dealership owners. They finish by giving advice to Scott’s kids about how they can end up rich.

Buy the book here: https://www.everywheremillionaire.com/.

Brandon Arnold on Data Centers Aug 25, 2026

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Scott and Jeff speak with Brandon Arnold , the Executive Vice President of the National Taxpayer's Union, about data centers. Do they drive up real estate prices? Do they use too much water? Are they just a substitute for people's fears about AI? And, what are they doing for property taxes (this is, after all, Tax Chats!). Read Brandon's article on data centers here:

https://www.ntu.org/publications/detail/smart-policies-not-kneejerk-bans-can-help-taxpayers-benefit-from-data-centers

Jared Walczak on the Laffer Mesa Aug 10, 2026

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Recent research suggests that the Laffer curve is less curve-like than originally thought. Jeff and Scott talk with Jared Walczak from the Tax Foundation about the Laffer Curve, and why we think it is mesa-like, based on his writing here: https://thesaltroad.net/p/the-laffer-mesa.

Wasteful Tax Expenditures: A Chat with Calvin Johnson Jul 13, 2026

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Jeff and Scott talk about wasteful tax expenditures with Calvin Johnson, which Professor Johnson believes includes basically all tax expenditures.

Tax the Ultrarich Without Throwing Out Realization: A conversation with Brian Galle Jul 06, 2026

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Jeff and Scott chat with Brian Galle about his new paper, How to Tax the Ultrarich. Most proposals that seek to tax the very wealthy differently eliminate the principle of realization, such as wealth taxes or mark-to-market regimes. These approaches carry considerable baggage, including liquidity problems, valuation problems, and related concerns. By contrast, Brian proposes a tax that eliminates some of the value of deferral, which would reduce the incentive to hold assets merely to delay taxation, but still only levies taxes upon realization.

Lobbying for the National Association of Manufacturers: A Chat with Charles Crain Jun 29, 2026

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Jeff and Scott speak with Charles Crain, Managing Vice President of Policy at the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM). Charles works closely with NAM’s member companies to advocate for tax policies that support manufacturers and strengthen the manufacturing sector. In this episode, Jeff and Scott first discuss the important matter of how to pronounce NAM (NOT like Viet-NAM). They then discuss NAM’s role in the policy process, how the organization identifies and prioritizes its tax policy agenda, and some of its most significant advocacy successes. They also explore the story behind NAM’s efforts to secure the bonus depreciation adjustment in the corporate alternative minimum tax.

Benjamin Jaros on Colonial Tobacco Tariffs Jun 08, 2026

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Jeff and Scott chat with Ben Jaros, a research fellow at the Hoover Institution, about his paper, “Tobacco Tariffs in the Colonial Chesapeake.” Ben explains how tobacco tariffs shaped the finances of colonial Maryland and Virginia, the English Crown, and the broader Atlantic economy from the early 1600s through the Revolutionary War. We discuss who actually bore the burden of these tariffs, why European consumers may have paid most of the cost, and how tobacco revenue helps explain Britain’s fiscal interest in maintaining control over the colonies

Tax Research with AI: A Chat with Ben Alarie (with offer for tax profs) May 30, 2026

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Jeff and Scott chat with the CEO of BlueJ, an AI-powered tax research tool, about updates on BlueJ. Scott announces that BlueJ now offers their product free for tax professors.

The Tax Policy Center: Chatting with Elena Patel May 26, 2026

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Jeff and Scott chat with Elena Patel about the Tax Policy Center, where she is co-director. We talk about the history of the TPC, who works there, and its mission.

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