The time tax : how the government wastes our time--and how to fix it / Annie Lowrey.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Lowrey, Annie, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Government paperwork--United States.

Government paperwork.

Time management--United States.

Time management.

Bureaucracy--United States--History.

Bureaucracy.

Genre:

Informational works.

Physical Description:

vi, 342 pages ; 24 cm

Edition:

First edition.

Other Title:

How the government wastes our time--and how to fix it

Place of Publication:

New York, NY : Ecco, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, [2026]

Summary:

"A powerful investigation into how and why the government wastes our time with administrative burdens, how these burdens discriminate and drive inequality, and what we can do to protect our time--and make the government work for us Everyone knows that dealing with government bureaucracy can be a nightmare. Doing your taxes is bad enough, but for those applying for financial aid, housing assistance, unemployment, disability, or Medicaid, it's worse--and the stakes are infinitely higher. If time is money, the hoops we must jump through to access government services or comply with the law are just one more bill we as citizens are forced to pay. Journalist Annie Lowrey has termed this the "time tax": the paperwork, aggravation, and mental effort imposed on citizens to access their rights and benefits. So how did the world's wealthiest country end up with such a convoluted, punitive, and inept system of public administration? Lowrey traces the pathbreaking history of administrative burdens in the United States from the Civil War to today, revealing how they were historically built as a tool of discrimination. She examines the effect of time taxes on civic life in the US, from how they amplify inequality and entrench poverty to how they reduce trust in the government. Lowrey not only diagnoses the problem and gives this miserable experience of interacting with our government a name; she also shows that it doesn't have to be this way. Countries from Estonia to Vietnam have made it a priority to reduce administrative burdens for their citizens, and she argues there's no reason we can't do the same. The Time Tax will enrage you, enlighten you, and, most important, provide a point-by-point guide for reclaiming our precious time"-- Provided by publisher.

Annie Lowrey's The Time Tax examines the burdensome paperwork, bureaucracy, and administrative hurdles Americans face when accessing government benefits and everyday services. It traces the historical roots of administrative burdens, including their use as tools of discrimination, and shows how they perpetuate poverty and erode trust in government. Lowrey argues that these burdens are unnecessary and advocates simplifying public administration to give citizens back their time.

Contents:

The Paperwork Vortex

Bureaucratic Logic

Granting and Limiting

Only Once

I Know My Name By Sound

The Big Bang

Ugly Policies

Don't Make Me Think

The Hidden Engine

Weathering

Trust

Fixing the Time Tax.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Other Format:

Online version Lowrey, Annie Time tax

ISBN:

9780063442559

0063442558

9780063442573

0063442574

OCLC:

1593852098