For Good and Evil: The Impact of Taxes on the Course of Civilization [Paperback]

Charles Adams (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 22, 1994

A fascinating history... —Kirkus Reviews ...an acidly witty guide. —Wall Street Journal

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This sweeping anecdotal survey of taxes through the ages aims to support the author's libertarian attacks on the current U.S. tax system and his call for a flat tax of 10% to replace the current income tax system. Tax attorney Adams ( Fight, Flight, Fraud: The Story of Taxation ) considers taxation a vital force in molding history; his discussions of civilizations ranging from that of ancient Greece to the French ancien regime are sometimes intriguing. For example, he suggests that the offer of tax immunity, rather than religious ideology, may have fueled the spread of Islam in the seventh and eighth centuries. But Adams does not engage other historians to argue his ideas, and he can be inaccurate with facts--forgetting Hugo Black, he writes that by the time of Nixon's presidency, the Supreme Court "had not had a Southerner for a hundred years." Some of his proposed reforms seem worthy--establish a crime for tax extortion, decriminalize the tax law--but others are dubious, such as the suggestion that members of Congress and federal judges be "immune" from the IRS. Moreover, his argument that low taxes were crucial to the "miracle economies" of Asia is simplistic; still more glaring is his failure to assess the impact of the Reagan administration's tax policies.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Library Journal

Adams, a tax attorney, presents the history of taxation from ancient times to the present. He studies tax law and collection procedures in ancient Egypt, Rome, Israel, Asia, Europe, and the United States, describing how taxation played a pivotal role in such earth-shattering events as the fall of Rome, the signing of the Magna Carta, and the American Revolution. The author analyzes lessons learned through study of the past and recommends measures for possible tax reform. The selected bibliography provides an excellent guide to further research. This important, timely study is highly recommended for business and history collections.
- Lucy Heckman, St. John's Univ. Lib., New York
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 318 pages
• Publisher: Madison Books (February 22, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1568330243
• ISBN-13: 978-1568330242
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,260,185 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

55 of 57 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Many of the other reviews miss the point, October 9, 2000

By 

JF "sailing enthusiast" (Houston) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: For Good and Evil: The Impact of Taxes on the Course of Civilization (Hardcover)

Many of the reviews posted are so obviously biased for and against taxes or big governement as to make their review worthless.

The book has 38 chapters, nearly every one discusses taxation in a different society starting in ancient Egypt and disucsses taxation by the Greeks, Roman, Russians, French, English, and finally Americans among others. The point is not that taxation is bad, but that corrupt systems of taxation are bad and that taxation above a certain level is bound to fail since people will find ways to avoid it. This is not made up history, there are 23 pages of endnotes and a twelve page bibliography.

There are a number of illustrations, as well as, well written stories from the Rosetta Stone (it was actually a grant of tax immunity); to how Muslims taxed infidels more in order to get them to convert; to Lady Godiva (she made her ride get the King, her husband, to remit the heavy taxes he imposed on the Coventry);, to taxation as one cause of the Civil War that few are aware of (there are 16 endnotes on this chapter alone, many from articles written during the Civil War).

This is a facinating book that should be required reading for every member of Congress.

25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read for every citizen, September 11, 2002

By 

Eugene A Jewett "Eugene A Jewett" (Alexandria, Va. United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: For Good and Evil: The Impact of Taxes on the Course of Civilization (Hardcover)

It's unfortunate that so many American citizens are guilty of imposing willful ignorance upon themselves, otherwise our political leaders would be subject to a tighter leash. Charles Adams wrote this most informative book in the early 1990's and it has resonated with me ever since. He covers the history of taxation from the time of the first recording of history. Indeed the Rosetta stone was a tax document, and like the rest of the book it's a follow-the-money theory of history.

As Adams points out, figurative "mafia families", who have always run countries, have managed to compensate their armies by taxing the productive capacity of their subjects. Adam's central theme is that governments who overtax their citizens are nearly always "hoisted on their own petard." He cites ancient Greece, Rome, indeed governments from all over the world. His end game is to warn America's political elite that they've gone too far in a game where all great cultures have collapsed from within i.e. rotted at their moral core. And, he's right!

This book has many pages of cites and a long bibliography. It's a bit repetitious to read as he covers so many examples to make his point, but it's well worth the attention of every citizen if only they would spare the time.

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A sweeping historical narrative of taxation since Babylon, May 2, 2001

By 

R. Setliff - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: For Good and Evil: The Impact of Taxes on the Course of Civilization (Hardcover)

I read this book sometime ago, but still recall it quite vividly. For good and evil- taxes seem like there here to stay. Adams, a tax attorney by trade, offers an intriguing narrative history of taxation since ancient times. Moreover, he illustrates how their is a fine line of how much sustained taxation a civilization can endure before it collapses, (hence the Laffer Curve.) He points out the pitfalls the befall ancient Rome and Egypt when they engaged in confiscatory taxation policies.

Additionally, he shows how high taxes feed a vicious cycle of statism, corruption and more taxes and economic collapse as demagogues rise to the power. Indeed, this book makes it clear that taxation has "the power to destroy" as it has brought mighty empires to their knees. (Granted, some might say its the effect, not the cause of a debased culture. Morality and tradition play a role as well in the collapse of civilizations.)

Also recommend: When Nations Die by Jim Black.