Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist David Cay Johnston and tax law scholar Edward Kleinbard discuss the misconceptions and realities of who exactly is paying U.S. federal income taxes. Johnston, a 13-year veteran of The New York Times, won the Pulitzer Prize in 2001 for uncovering loopholes and inequities in the U.S. tax code. His books include the bestseller Perfectly Legal and The Fine Print: How Big Companies Use “Plain English” to Rob You Blind. Kleinbard is a professor at USC's Gould School of Law and the former chief of staff of the U.S. Congress Joint Committee on Taxation. His work focuses on the taxation of capital income, international tax issues, and the intersection of tax policy and contemporary politics. Moderated by Ian Masters, journalist, author, screenwriter, documentary filmmaker, and radio host.
Hammer Forum is made possible in part by Bronya and Andrew Galef.