Episode 82: End the IRS Before It Ends Us (with Grover Norquist)

Grover Norquist joins us to tell us about his Taxpayer Protection Pledge and his plan to eliminate the IRS as we know it.

This week we're joined by Grover Norquist for a frank discussion about every libertarian's favorite part of the government: its tax-collection arm. Norquist shares how he got into politics, the idea behind his infamous tax pledge, and his plan for reining in the government's power to tax its citizens.

What’s the right amount of taxes? Zero? How do we get there? Given our nation's anti-tax roots, have we become too complacent in paying taxes?

Show Notes and Further Reading

Grover Norquist, End the IRS Before It Ends Us: How to Restore a Low Tax, High Growth, Wealthy America (book)

[markpoh]

I'm from Ohio where we have been under republican rule for decades.  We have extremely high taxes  we have taxes on taxes, they tax everything. There is no difference between the Democrats and Republicans  I think Grover is nothing but part of the problem, his whole discussion was based on putting down democrats while being very careful not to put down republicans, while both (parties) are responsible for this situation.  One party taxes you one way the other does the other way. Obama never stopped any of the wars he only continued it.  Sounded like Grover was pitching the idea of taking Social Security  and using it for private investment  so nobody will have it  and we can all work until we die. Doing away with the IRS will not work until you do away with the Fed.   However, we could start printing our own money again  and not be subject to the bankers who really regulates the economy and yes move to abolish the income tax and create a national sales tax,  that would keep all those Washington folks in check and the bankers  because a good economy would be in every ones best interest.

[magister]

Proposition 13 was a very bad thing. Capping increases in property taxes without capping increases in spending has required increasing much more damaging types of taxes, like sales taxes and income taxes. Property taxes are a relatively benign tax, which in theory really consist of two separate taxes with very different theoretical justifications as well as effects. The taxes on improvements made by human labor are destructive and are robbery as much as other sorts of taxes, but Land Value Taxes have very positive effects and no more unjust than private collected land rent. A careful reading of John Locke will reveal that Land can never actually be legitimate property. Property rights attach only to improvements made by human labor. Secure land tenure is very useful and is justified so far as is necessary to protect legitimate property and so long as the Lockean Proviso is met. When there is not as much and as good left for other would-be homesteaders, then monopolizing a plot of land may be considered an act of aggression. That is the norm in the real world. The situation may be fixed most easily by tying the privilege of a legal monopoly over a land plot with a tax based on the economic rent yielded by that plot, ignoring the value of any improvements.

[AreThereNoMoreNames]

Heh, couldn't help but notice he said 57 states at 29:30, had to rewind and listen again. Then he had to explain the joke.