{"product_id":"paul-fixes-the-tax-system-paul-stokstad-9798196139772","title":"Paul Fixes the Tax System: And other dangerous ideas about money and the common good","description":"\u003cp\u003eWhat if the tax system wasn't broken by accident?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhat if it evolved, over centuries, into a sprawling machine optimized less for fairness than for complexity, loopholes, prestige, and power?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAnd what if it could be redesigned?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn \u003ci\u003ePaul Fixes the Tax System: And Other Dangerous Ideas About Money and the Common Good\u003c\/i\u003e, 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: \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhy do billionaires sometimes pay lower effective tax rates than teachers?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFrom 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBut this is not merely a critique.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt is also a proposal.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBlending economic history, political philosophy, behavioral psychology, corporate governance, and civic imagination, the book introduces a bold framework called \u003cb\u003ePublic Benefit Capitalism\u003c\/b\u003e: \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTaxes reframed as \"civilizational dues\"\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA minimum tax floor that prevents zero-tax outcomes\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePublic-benefit tax credits tied to measurable social outcomes\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNew incentives for long-term investment and civic contribution\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCorporate prestige systems that reward verified public good\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA \"civic dashboard\" making taxation visible, transparent, and participatory\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003eAlong the way, the book explores: \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ebenefit corporations and B Corps\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ephilanthropy and democratic accountability\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ethe mythology of the self-made billionaire\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eESG investing and greenwashing\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNordic high-trust societies\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003elobbying, offshore finance, and regulatory capture\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ecapitalism's relationship to legitimacy and public trust\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003ePart history, part systems analysis, part civic manifesto, \u003ci\u003ePaul Fixes the Tax System\u003c\/i\u003e 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eProvocative, 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Paul Stokstad\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9798196139772\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Independently Published\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 05\/08\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 100\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.24lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.00h x 5.00w x 0.21d","brand":"Paul Stokstad","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":48801499676927,"sku":"9798196139772","price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/paul-fixes-the-tax-system-paul-stokstad-9798196139772","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}