Joe Thorndike
@joethorndike.bsky.social
Tax | History | Politics Not in any particular order, although tax pays the bills (for me and everyone else).
Platner Is Gone, but His Billionaire Tax Plan Still Matters And it's got a pedigree of sorts. www.taxnotes.com/featured-ana...
Platner Is Gone, but His Billionaire Tax Plan Still Matters | Tax Notes
Joseph J. Thorndike examines former Senate hopeful Graham Platner’s tax plans and whether they could offer an attractive tax policy more broadly for Democrats despite Platner no longer running for the...
taxnotes.com
Before Taxing AI, Consider the Chain Store Taxes of the 1930s — Really! My latest for @taxnotes.com www.taxnotes.com/featured-ana...
taxnotes.com
Americans often remember the Revolution as a tax revolt. So why does the Declaration of Independence mention taxes only once? As the U.S. celebrates its 250th birthday, @joethorndike.bsky.social explains the hidden tax argument in our nation's founding document.
The Hidden Tax Fight In The Declaration Of Independence
Joseph J. Thorndike examines the historical context behind the single tax grievance in the Declaration of Independence.
forbes.com
Wouldn’t be the first time that companies pocketed a big refund on taxes already passed along to consumers. (although it’s been a while). www.taxnotes.com/tax-history-... www.nytimes.com/2026/04/24/b...
Companies, Not Consumers, to Cash In Big From Tariff Refunds
nytimes.com
"When the Court strikes down a tariff, who should get their money back? The importer who submitted the duties to the government? Or people further down the line who may have borne the true economic burden of the tariffs?" @joethorndike.bsky.social asks.
Who Gets The Tariff Refund? A Lesson From 1936
Joseph J. Thorndike examines the history of tariff refunds.
forbes.com
Importers want tariff refunds. But if they already passed the costs on to consumers, should they get the money back in full? That fight is back—and it has a 1936 precedent. New for @TaxNotes: www.taxnotes.com/featured-ana...
taxnotes.com
Not every famous Boston tax protest involved tea. My latest is on the Liberty Riot of 1768: a dubious affidavit, street violence, and a boat burned on Boston Common. www.taxnotes.com/tax-history-...
"You may find that these high tariffs that you like so much prove to be enormously unpopular, like most regressive taxes are unpopular," @joethorndike.bsky.social said. "And so at the end of the day, it can revive interest in progressive alternatives."
Could Tariffs Replace The Income Tax? Lessons From U.S. History
Robert Goulder and Joseph Thorndike of Tax Notes explore how America’s first tariffs shaped the nation’s fiscal policy and set the stage for today’s federal income tax.
forbes.com
"To tax and to please, no more than to love and be wise, is not given to men." --Edmund Burke I feel like that should be engraved on the IRS building, right below the Oliver Wendell Holmes line about civilized society. New episode of History Is Taxing: www.buzzsprout.com/2593214/epis...
The Making of the IRS: ‘Nobody Likes a Tax Collector’ - History Is Taxing
Robert Goulder and Joseph Thorndike of Tax Notes explore tax collection throughout U.S. history, from tariffs to tax returns, and how the past has shaped Americans’ perception of tax.**CreditsHosts: R...
buzzsprout.com
Americans don’t love taxes (does anyone?) but they have an even bigger issue with tax collectors.
Tax Notes@taxnotes.com · 5mo agoIn the latest episode of "History Is Taxing," Robert Goulder and @joethorndike.bsky.social explore tax collection throughout U.S. history, from tariffs to tax returns, and how the past has shaped Americans’ perception of tax. 🎧 Listen wherever you get your podcasts.
Will tariffs replace the income tax? Not likely. The first in my new podcast series, History Is Taxing. www.buzzsprout.com/2593214/epis...
Could Tariffs Replace the Income Tax? Lessons From U.S. History - History Is Taxing
Robert Goulder and Joseph Thorndike of Tax Notes explore how America’s first tariffs shaped the nation’s fiscal policy and set the stage for today’s federal income tax.**CreditsHosts: Robert Goulder, ...
buzzsprout.com
Excited to share a new podcast I’m launching with my @taxnotes.com colleague Robert Goulder: “History Is Taxing!” In each episode, we'll you give you the backstory on a major tax issue—from tariffs to taxpayer privacy to IRS reform. Follow the show at taxnotes.co/historypodcast
So excited to be part of this new Tax Notes podcast. Coming soon!
Tax Notes@taxnotes.com · 6mo agoWe're thrilled to introduce a new Tax Notes podcast, "History Is Taxing!” Join Robert Goulder and @joethorndike.bsky.social on March 3 as they unpack the origins of today's biggest tax topics, from tariffs to taxpayer privacy. 🎧 Follow wherever you get your podcasts: taxnotes.co/historypodcast
Mamdani, Trump, and FDR: What that Oval Office photo misses about Roosevelt and his war on wealth www.taxnotes.com/featured-ana...
At the risk of some self-promotion… amzn.to/4aoBmUt
Their Fair Share: Taxing the Rich in the Age of FDR (Urban Institute Press)
Their Fair Share: Taxing the Rich in the Age of FDR (Urban Institute Press) [Thorndike, Joseph] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Their Fair Share: Taxing the Rich in the Age of FDR (Urban Institute Press)
amzn.to
Kevin M. Kruse@kevinmkruse.bsky.social · 8mo agoThe New Deal wasn’t built on a promise that there would be “no ceiling” for the richest Americans. Quite the opposite, in fact. FDR knew its politics could only work if he singled out the rich as villains and knew that its policies could only work if the rich paid their fair share in taxes.
Seems ironic/appropriate/illuminating that the GAO page explaining the Antideficiency Act and its role in government shutdowns is itself a victim of the government shutdown.
RIP to Dick “Deficits Don’t Matter” Cheney As a matter of economics, still dubious. As a matter of politics, obviously and demonstrably true —so far.
Politico: “gas prices have fallen to levels not seen in decades.” Really? I’d like to see the data behind this claim. apple.news/AYXYDcb5tT3W...
Trump is selling a strong economy. Voters aren’t buying it. — POLITICO
Privately, aides concede voters remain uneasy about prices but argue their policies are beginning to turn things around.
apple.news
I think this is probably wrong. As I argued here: www.taxnotes.com/tax-history-...
Hooked on Tariffs? Their Revenue May Be Hard to Quit, but We’ve Done It Before | Tax Notes
Joseph J. Thorndike overviews 125 years of tariff history throughout which politicians have abandoned productive taxes and tariffs that seemed unfair, unwise, or unpopular.
taxnotes.com
Carl Quintanilla@carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 11mo ago".. I’m increasingly [thinking] that high tariffs are here to stay, [and] that a Democrat, say in 2029, is not going to reverse Trump’s tariff policy, because the federal government won’t be able to afford to." @thehill.com thehill.com/business/547...
A careful study of every populist episode since 1900 finds catastrophic consequences, which play out slowly. On average, incomes fall behind by nearly 15% over 15 years. For the U.S., this is a cost of about $13k per person per year. Over a lifetime, that's million bucks.
today I am loving the UN Geneva Archives platform which hosts the complete League of Nations archives, digitised, entirely free some archive digitisation programs are very clunky & hard to use, this is immaculate & has an incredibly user friendly interface + excellent metadata
archives.ungeneva.org
I have a similar reaction to AI used for non-math functions. In history, for instance, it’s great for summarizing arguments and evidence — as long as the accuracy and reliability of those summaries aren’t important. Super useful, for sure. Turns all of us from writers into fact checkers.
Ketan Joshi@ketanjoshi.co · 12mo agoGood thing no one uses Microsoft Excel for anything related to legal, regulatory or compliance business functions www.theverge.com/news/761338/...
History suggests that tariff revenue won’t be so hard to quit.
Tax Notes@taxnotes.com · 12mo ago"Tariffs are raising a lot of revenue these days," @joethorndike.bsky.social writes. "And depending on how you feel about regressive taxes that boost prices, slow growth, and raise unemployment, that might be a problem."
So much for foreigners paying tariffs. If they did PPI would be falling. Wholesale prices up 3.3% from a year ago & 3.7% in the core. The temperature is definitely rising in the core. This implies a hot PCE reading lies ahead.
