The Roots of Today’s Tax Extremism

I write mainly about mega-trends, corporate strategy, and sustainability. But I do not know anymore how to avoid bleeding into politics. They’re inextricably linked. For example, how can we talk about climate change and not discuss policy at the global, regional, and local levels?
And, more to the point this week, how do we talk about all that sustainability requires — i.e., investment from business and society to build a thriving world — without discussing the financial choices we make as a country through our tax policy?
So yesterday, I wrote an article on Medium about the tax bill the U.S. Senate just passed. The legislation has far-reaching impacts on the economy, business, and any sustainability or climate agenda.
This bill also reflects a deep dedication on the part of Republican leadership to shrink the size of government (by, in this case, cutting taxes on the wealthy and corporations so much that they have to raise taxes on everyone else just to “only” cut by more than a trillion dollars). As the New York Times wrote on the cover today, “Heading Toward Tax Victory, Republicans Eye Next Step: Cut Spending.”
I think it’s important to understand who the GOP listens to on this, with particular focus on tax-hater Grover Norquist, a man that tweeted recently that federal taxes should be “1% to 2%”, a purposefully ludicrous number in a modern society.
Please check out this link to read the full piece, titled:

Where the GOP’s Tax Extremism Comes From

Conservative leaders like Grover Norquist want to basically eliminate taxes and government
*****
If you enjoyed this article, please sign up for Andrew Winston’s RSS feed, or by email. Follow Andrew on Twitter @AndrewWinston
Andrew’s book, The Big Pivot, was named a Best Business Book of the Year by Strategy+Business Magazine! Get your copy here. See also Andrew’s TED talk on The Big Pivot.

SUBSCRIBE TO ANDREW’S BLOG AND NEWSLETTER
Archives
Categories