Paul Fixes the Tax System

And other dangerous ideas about money and the common good

von Paul Stokstad

100 Seiten, Taschenbuch

Kurzbeschreibung des Verlags

What if the tax system wasn't broken by accident?What if it evolved, over centuries, into a sprawling machine optimized less for fairness than for complexity, loopholes, prestige, and power?And what if it could be redesigned?In Paul Fixes the Tax System: And Other Dangerous Ideas About Money and the Common Good, a historically minded citizen named "Paul" steps into one of civilization's largest and most bewildering machines and asks a question that refuses to go away: Why do billionaires sometimes pay lower effective tax rates than teachers?From Sumerian grain taxes and Roman roads to offshore tax havens, carried interest loopholes, and the modern "buy, borrow, die" strategy, this book traces the strange history of taxation as both a tool of civilization and a battleground of power.But this is not merely a critique.It is also a proposal.Blending economic history, political philosophy, behavioral psychology, corporate governance, and civic imagination, the book introduces a bold framework called Public Benefit Capitalism: - Taxes reframed as "civilizational dues"- A minimum tax floor that prevents zero-tax outcomes- Public-benefit tax credits tied to measurable social outcomes- New incentives for long-term investment and civic contribution- Corporate prestige systems that reward verified public good- A "civic dashboard" making taxation visible, transparent, and participatoryAlong the way, the book explores: - benefit corporations and B Corps- philanthropy and democratic accountability- the mythology of the self-made billionaire- ESG investing and greenwashing- Nordic high-trust societies- lobbying, offshore finance, and regulatory capture- capitalism's relationship to legitimacy and public trustPart history, part systems analysis, part civic manifesto, Paul Fixes the Tax System argues that the future of capitalism may depend on whether societies can redirect ambition, prestige, and wealth toward the common good before institutional trust collapses completely.Provocative, humorous, historically grounded, and deeply ambitious, this is a book for readers of,, and who are ready to rethink the relationship between money, power, taxes, and civilization itself.