Bob Lord, a tax lawyer and former Congressional candidate, is an associate fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies. Bob previously served as an adjunct faculty member at the Arizona State University School of Law. Bob’s work focuses on the relationship of tax law to inequality. He contributes to both the Inequality.org website and to OtherWords, the Institute’s national syndicated editorial service. Bob also is a staff member at Blog For Arizona, the leading political blog in Arizona.

Latest

Workers, Machines, and ‘Bonus Depreciation’

Should our tax system be discouraging automation or leveling the tax playing field between workers and machines?

Why Do Billionaires So Love Owning Newspapers?

You never know when an editorial can come in handy. Just ask Jeff Bezos.

Time To End the Capital Gains Rate Giveaway

Our tax loopholes let marginal and arbitrary differences in facts give rise to markedly different tax outcomes.

The Climate Case for Taxing Wealth

Vast fortunes rely on destroying our planet. Taxing those fortunes to fund climate action could give us a shot at survival.

Elon Musk Is Hiding the Ball Again on Taxes

Fanboys of the richest person on Earth are spinning bogus tales that swell the Musk fortune and embellish his ‘genius.’

Closing the Loopholes America’s Super Rich Love: Can the Dog Catch Its Tail?

How we can prevent the wealthiest of our wealthy from exempting virtually unlimited billions from tax.

How to Fix America’s Roundabout, Badly Broken System for Taxing Our Richest

Yes, we could ensure that our richest pay something in the neighborhood of their fair tax share.

A Perfect Storm Has Elon Musk Paying $11 Billion in Tax

But our only quarter-trillionaire is still not paying anything close to his fair tax share.

Should Rich People Get a Free Pass at Tax Time?

We’re finally debating that question. Let’s not miss our opportunity.

American Tax Policy in the Age of Trillionaires

Have we just about decided that the further accumulation of billionaire fortunes makes for good public policy?

Subway’s Sandwich Mogul Meets — and Beats — the IRS

A new U.S. District Court ruling helps billionaires escape millions in gift taxes.

Close Down the Estate Tax Manipulations That Benefit Billionaires

The latest tax proposals in Congress are an okay first step, but don’t go far enough to address one of the biggest enablers of dynastic wealth.

Does Our Tax System Benefit the Rich on Purpose?

It’s a complicated question. But as a tax attorney, I believe firmly that the flaws are intentional.

The American Families Plan Taxes Billionaires and Protects Family Farms and Businesses

President Joe Biden has proposed tax reforms to close a capital gains loophole favoring the wealthiest Americans.

Elly May Clampett Is the Target of Biden’s Tax Plan, Not Laura Ingalls

The capital-gains-tax proposal would actually protect family farmers like those on “Little House on the Prairie” and tax the windfall riches ‘earned” by ‘The Beverly Hillbillies’

Our ‘Trillion-Dollar Seven’: Can We Summon the Courage to Tax Them?

The billions our billionaires are grabbing currently face a next-to-nothing tax rate.

Taxing Lifetime Gains Serves Different Fairness Goal Than Estate Tax

The “basis step-up” allows wealthy people to avoid paying income tax on lifetimes of investment gains.

Sports Teams: The Everlasting Tax Shelter for Billionaires

A perverse loophole allows owners of profitable teams — and their heirs — to lower their tax bills by claiming huge paper losses.

Peter Thiel’s $5 Billion Roth IRA: Only the Size is News

Lawmakers have known about this giant loophole for years. Now it’s time to do something about it.

Tax Foundation Sounds the Alarm — over the Plight of Totally Mythical Taxpayers

No actual taxpayers are going to face anything remotely close to the tax rate critics of the Biden tax plan are claiming.