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

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4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (18 customer reviews)

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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 an alternate 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 an alternate Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

Hardcover: 539 pages
Publisher: Madison Books; 2 Sub edition (April 25, 1999)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1568331231
ISBN-13: 978-1568331232
Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.5 inches
Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds

Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (18 customer reviews)

Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,191,857 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Citations (learn more)

19 books cite this book:

Tax Crusaders and the Politics of Direct Democracy by Daniel A. Smith in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
Politics, Taxation, and the Rule of Law: The Power to Tax in Constitutional Perspective by Donald P. Racheter on page 49, and page 78
The European Dream by Jeremy Rifkin in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
Business, Economics, and Finance with Matlab, GIS, and Simulation Models by Patrick L. Anderson on page 253, and page 388
The European Dream: How Europe's Vision of the Future Is Quietly Eclipsing the American Dream by Jeremy Rifkin in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)

See all 19 books citing this book

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Customer Reviews

18 Reviews

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4.4 out of 5 stars (18 customer reviews)

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39 of 39 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

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.

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17 of 18 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 (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

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.

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17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

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

By	Ryan Setliff "InternetPundit.com" (VA, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)

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.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Surely you jest.
"The author seems obsessed with a few confused ideas about how taxation impinges on liberty and wastes no opportunity to share these with the reader. Read more

Published 2 days ago by Jeremy G. Snyder

5.0 out of 5 stars Good But Tedious At Times
Revolts and revolutions start because of taxes. Civilizations end because of taxes. That's what we learn in Charles Adams' great work on the impact of taxes on the course of... Read more

Published 11 months ago by G. Charles Steiner

5.0 out of 5 stars History of taxation - For Good and Evil
If you do not understand the history of taxation, you do not understand history. America is at a point in our history where taxation is going to destroy the USA. Read more

Published 13 months ago by Paul Artz

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent historical review of taxation and fascinating!
You will learn so much about the history of taxes and how they affected every civilization in ways not thought about. Read more

Published 17 months ago by itisgregory

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read!
The subject of taxation is such an important aspect of any society. Historians typically only mention issues of taxation, as a footnote to historical events. Read more

Published 23 months ago by Patrick Sullivan

1.0 out of 5 stars The Role of Taxes over the Centuries
This book is a "must read" for those who want to understand how taxes have altered the rise and fall of civilizations over the centuries. Read more

Published on August 22, 2006 by John Leventis

4.0 out of 5 stars Provides a broad overview of taxation in various societies over the centuries
This is a very interesting book that will probably give you a better understanding of the ways in which taxation has been used in the past. Read more

Published on September 26, 2005 by Craig Matteson

5.0 out of 5 stars For Tax Warriors: a historical frame of reference
This book is a "must read" for anyone who is serious about understanding the history of economics and taxation, regardless of point of view. Read more

Published on September 14, 2000 by Jim Hudspeth

2.0 out of 5 stars Zealots make poor historians.
I was sadly disappointed with this book. I was hoping for both a discussion of the ways in which people have been taxed in the past, and an overall history of the world. Read more

Published on November 1, 1999

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read for any citizen.
This book contains some of the most powerful examples of what is going wrong with the USA today, and provides insight on what we should be going different. Read more

Published on July 26, 1999 by Michael Scalise

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