"At most, tariffs could replace around one-eighth of the revenue the federal income tax currently collects... The move would be deeply regressive." Great article from Chye-Ching Huang, @davidkamin.bsky.social and Brandon DeBot: democracyjournal.org/magazine/81/...

I wrote about why we need and deserve not just a good IRS, but a *splendid* IRS, and how we can get there from here.

Today I saw a federal agent on duty wearing explicit Trump campaign gear (see the 45-47 on his sleeve). That's illegal.

Reminder that, if Thomas Paine’s tax proposal were in effect, Musk would face a 100 percent tax rate on any annual gains above $1 billion. Full detailed in my paper with @vanessawilliamson.bsky.social papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....

From Nina Olson, former Taxpayer Advocate, and Gabriel Zucker, a leader in the development of Direct File: the sign-up system for "Trump accounts" is an "riddled with security and trust issues." www.taxnotes.com/procedurally...

If this is true, it is extremely important, in itself and as an indication of the power Congress could be asserting if it chose.

This! We cannot recommend @vanessawilliamson.bsky.social's work on this enough. She explains it ✨perfectly✨ here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqDd...

It’s a breathtaking abuse of the tax and legal system, at the same time courts are finding this administration is violating the taxpayer privacy laws the president is now invoking to seek extraordinary sums of money for his own purposes.

Any poli sci profs still allowed to teach "gender and politics", the new YouGov survey has your next lecture covered

Hello everyone please admire my new lamp

Profoundly misleading tax statistic from the Washington Post editorial board today. Here's the stat they use to assert that the rich pay more than their share. Can you spot the issue? 🧐

Frank Bisignano is set to testify before the Senate Finance Committee Wednesday. He is simultaneously the “CEO” of IRS and Commissioner of Social Security. During his tenure, some troubling patterns have emerged at SSA and IRS, which impact the millions of people who rely on their services. 🧵

An AI slop-news site translated my job title "senior fellow" as... "elder chap"

"This isn’t just about clever accounting — it's about power and impunity. When millionaires and billionaires stash trillions of dollars in offshore tax havens, they place themselves above the obligations that bind the rest of society." Christian Hallum, @oxfaminternational.bsky.social

Tax invisibility is a scourge in our politics > Public childcare isn't free, it's tax-funded. > People buying $34 burgers pay taxes. > Believe $34 burger eaters should pay more? wait until you hear about this idea "progressive taxation" Wow, problem solved, thanks taxes! 😀

Excited to share new paper w/ @jakemgrumbach.bsky.social: "Veiled Power: How Rosenwald Teachers Quietly Shaped the Civil Rights Movement" The puzzle: did ~5,000 segregated schools built in rural South emphasizing “manual labor” strengthen or weaken Jim Crow? 🧵 omarwasow.com/wasow_grumba...

Today with @hcrichardson.bsky.social & @vanessawilliamson.bsky.social www.youtube.com/live/aBcPKrw...

This was really really fun.

Season 3 of Democracy In Question is live! I sat down with @vanessawilliamson.bsky.social to dig into the phrase at the heart of American democracy. 🎙️Give it a listen: www.brookings.edu/articles/wha... #DemocracyInQuestion #Podcast

“Free, democratic countries tend to be high-tax countries,” writes @vanessawilliamson.bsky.social. By “sabotaging the state’s capacity to raise revenue,” the Trump administration is putting the future of U.S. democracy in jeopardy.

New from me in Foreign Affairs: "Free, democratic countries tend to be high-tax countries, because taxation and democracy reinforce each other." www.foreignaffairs.com/give-me-libe...

Right by Harpers Ferry, you say

BAH GAWD THAT'S @vanessawilliamson.bsky.social's MUSIC

On March 10 at 4pm-5:30pm, I’ll be moderating a panel discussion at UC Berkeley on a question that’s been on many of our minds (and with increasing urgency) over the past year: “What do the rich owe the rest of us?” Details and registration: besi.berkeley.edu/event/what-d...

The IRS is going into this tax season vastly unprepared. On ABC News Live, @vanessawilliamson.bsky.social warned that with fewer IRS staff focused on fraud prevention and complicated new tax provisions in place, taxpayers should file early to avoid delays and protect their refunds.

"That a representative body should constrain the executive’s fiscal power dates to Magna Carta in 1215... the framers gave Congress alone the power 'to lay and collect taxes' [because] untrammeled executive power over public money opens the door to tyranny." www.nytimes.com/2026/02/17/o...

"People tend to associate democratic erosion with election interference and violent police crackdowns. But there’s a quieter tell that a democracy is endangered: the dissolution of laws that protect public money." New article from me and Aziz Huq: www.nytimes.com/2026/02/17/o...

So thrilled to share this overview of a timely new book from @vanessawilliamson.bsky.social, as she talks with APEX about "The Price of Democracy" and how battles over taxes define who belongs in 'We the People' bit.ly/4aXIBSj @jacobhacker.bsky.social

Essential new reporting from @jacobbogage.bsky.social : IRS erroneously shared info for "thousands" of taxpayers beyond the 47,000 individuals who we knew had their data shared under the IRS-ICE MOU (data sharing that has since been stayed by the courts). www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...

This is a really excellent resource! taxlawcenter.org/the-federal-...

JUST IN: A federal judge has barred ICE and DHS from using taxpayer information provided by the IRS. Judge Talwani says that DHS' view that noncitizens lack 4th amendment rights — combined with ICE use of administrative warrants — is a recipe for abuse. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

Non-tax-related PSA: If you, like me, got your measles vaccine in the 1980s, you might need an MMR booster. Your doctor can check your immunity levels (mine did, and I need a booster!) www.health.harvard.edu/diseases-and...

Remember, ruining the ability of our democracy to fund itself is the point, not a mistake

Really useful article from Margot Crandall-Hollick and Aravind Boddupalli on what we know and don't know about how much Americans pay to file their income taxes: taxpolicycenter.org/taxvox/we-do...

Yale Community: Please join us for a lunch talk at noon next Tuesday (2/10) with @vanessawilliamson.bsky.social about her book “The Price of Democracy: The Revolutionary Power of Taxation in American History.” Register to attend: bit.ly/4r1X46r

I just subscribed: www.startribune.com/subscribe

Reupping this thread as news breaks that DOGE officials at the Social Security Administration signed a "voter data agreement" with an advocacy group whose aim is to "find evidence of voter fraud and to overturn election results in certain states," according to court filings by SSA today.

📣 📣 Just in time for tax season, we're launching the Brookings "IRS Spotlight": datasets & analysis on all things IRS, safe from govt shutdowns and data purges. Want info on call wait times? Leadership turnover? IRS-ICE data sharing? We’ve got you covered: www.brookings.edu/projects/the...

also, bureaucracy isn't just the vitally important slow boring of hard boards, it can also be a powerful force for a more democratic culture and a freer, less authoritarian society! from @vanessawilliamson.bsky.social's book about the history of taxation in the US:

Please share - @pewresearch.org wants to hire a data archivist who will be an advocate for data users, helping to ensure that our datasets are easy to discover and reuse by researchers, journalists, and the public. pewtrusts.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/CenterExtern...

Five years ago today, many people simply woke up on January 6, 2021 and went to work in and around the Capitol to serve their country in ways big and small, only to be met with violence. Their stories are many, and they are still with me.

Last fall, former IRS commissioner Danny Werfel and I had a great conversation at @brookings.edu about the role of taxation in the preservation of democracy --- and now you can watch it on CSPAN's "Book TV"!

Many happy returns!

A man is BREEDING SNAILS in office buildings and calling it "snail farm" to avoid hundreds of thousands in tax. 🐌🐌🐌🐌. www.theguardian.com/news/ng-inte...

"Most histories of American democracy start with voting rights or constitutional design," Joe Thorndike writes. "But Vanessa Williamson begins with a different focus: She wants to know who’s picking up the tab." Read the review of @vanessawilliamson.bsky.social's book: https://taxnotes.co/4qfVZHm

Be jealous, tax nerds: I got to talk tax history with the legendary @joethorndike.bsky.social !! taxnotestalk.taxnotes.com/124942/episo...

Thanks so much to @patrioticmillionaires.org for giving me the opportunity to speak at their conference. This was fun!

So excited to dive into this new book by @vanessawilliamson.bsky.social. Taxes are how we care for each other. Those with wealth have always tried to hoard power too. And look where it’s taking us!