Could Tariffs Replace the Income Tax? Lessons From U.S. History (From History Is Taxing)

Could Tariffs Replace the Income Tax? Lessons From U.S. History (From History Is Taxing)

From Tax Notes Talk by Tax Notes

March 13, 2026 · 36 min

About this episode

The episode explores how America’s first tariffs influenced the nation's fiscal policy and the development of the federal income tax.

Tax Notes Talk presents History Is Taxing, our new podcast exploring the tax origins of today’s biggest topics, connecting the present to the past with tax experts Robert Goulder and Joseph J. Thorndike of Tax Notes. In this episode, Goulder and Thorndike explore how America’s first tariffs shaped the nation’s fiscal policy and set the stage for today’s federal income tax. Subscribe to History Is Taxing today for free: taxnotes.co/historypodcast *** Credits Host: David D. Stewart ...

People in this episode

Host: David D. Stewart

Guests: Robert Goulder, Joseph J. Thorndike

Topics covered

  • tariffs
  • income tax
  • U.S. history
  • fiscal policy
  • taxation

Keywords

  • tariffs
  • income tax
  • fiscal policy
  • U.S. history
  • tax experts

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Tax Notes

Books & works: History Is Taxing

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