Perfectly legal : the covert campaign to rig our tax system to benefit the super rich-- and cheat everybody else / David Cay Johnston.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Johnston, David Cay, 1948- author.

Contributor:

EBSCOhost.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Taxation--United States.

Taxation.

United States.

Tax evasion--United States.

Tax evasion.

Taxation--Law and legislation--United States.

Taxation--Law and legislation.

Rich people--United States.

Rich people.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (x, 338 pages.)

Place of Publication:

New York : Portfolio, [2003]

System Details:

text file

Summary:

The rapidly widening gulf between the super rich and everyone else is an American tragedy. Pundits have raged about it, but until now, no one has explained exactly how it happened, why it's not a normal part of capitalism, or how much damage it's really causing -- not just to the poor, but to 99 percent of all Americans. Whether your family makes $30,000 or $300,000 a year, you are being robbed because the IRS and other institutions have been systematically corrupted -- under both Republican and Democratic administrations -- to serve the needs of people who make millions.

If you're the kind of person who works hard and plays by the rules, prepare to be outraged. Perfectly Legal will show you why the American Dream is turning into a lie. This explosive book, by an award-winning investigative reporter, reveals exactly how the tax code and many other laws have been twisted over the past three decades to subsidize the richest and most powerful fraction of 1 percent of our country. For nine years, David Cay Johnston has been exposing this covert campaign, piece by piece, on the front page of The New York Times. His scoops about outrageous tax scams have ruffled the feathers of powerful business leaders, politicians, and members of the political donor class. He routinely exposes the CEOs who fly corporate jets to Myrtle Beach for a day of golf and stick you with the bill; the business owners who build overseas factories to earn tax-free dollars; the former IRS employees who now teach multimillionaires how to hide their assets from the government.

Now Johnston offers a raft of compelling new stories about real people across all areas of society. In Perfectly Legal, you'll meet sleazy accountants and brazen tax cheats, clueless congressmen and crafty lobbyists. You'll meet frustrated IRS agents who have been handcuffed from pursuing the most blatant lawbreakers. And you'll meet ordinary Americans who are struggling to make a decent living but whose future is being undermined in ways they don't even realize. Compared to thirty years ago, every American now lives in a society much less equal and much more fraught with financial risk. Perfectly Legal lays out the details in plain English and shows how we can stop these trends before it's too late.

Contents:

Taxes : they're not for everyone

A nickel an hour more

The rich get fabulously richer

Big payday

Plane perks

When the old man is dead and buried

The stealth tax

How social security taxes subsidize the rich

Preying on the working poor

Handcuffing the tax police

Mr. Rossotti's customers

For want of a keystroke

Mr. Kellogg's favorite loophole

Mass market tax evasion

Getting off the hook

Profiting off taxes

Profits trump patriotism

Letters to Switzerland

Gimme shelter

Only the rich deserve a comfortable retirement

Is reform possible?

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Electronic reproduction. Ipswich, MA Available via World Wide Web.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

9780786546459

078654645X

Publisher Number:

99985358153

Access Restriction:

Restricted for use by site license.