Who really pays? The hidden inequality in America's tax code
About this episode
The episode discusses the hidden inequalities in America's tax code and features insights from tax law professor Ray Madoff.
The American tax system is sometimes called progressive, and it operates very differently for the ultra-wealthy. This week on Mountain Money, Boston College tax law professor Ray Madoff joins the show to talk about her new book, The Second Estate: How the Tax Code Made an American Aristocracy. She explains how the richest Americans can legally opt out of traditional income and estate taxes, the mechanics of the "buy, borrow, die" strategy, and how current rules shift the country's tax burden onto everyday wage earners.
People in this episode
Hosts: Roger Goldman, Kevin Kennedy
Guest: Ray Madoff
Topics covered
- tax inequality
- progressive tax system
- wealthy tax strategies
- income tax
- estate tax
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Boston College
Books & works: The Second Estate: How the Tax Code Made an American Aristocracy
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