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Optimist Economy

Tax Reform Gone Wild

Optimist Economy

Kathryn Anne Edwards and Robin Rauzi

Public Policy, Economics, Government, Economy

4.9829 Ratings

🗓️ 14 April 2026

⏱️ 46 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

From California to Washington to New York, states are trying to tax the very rich. The press keeps rehashing whether millionaires and billionaires will flee those states. Wrong question. The more important one is why we’re improvising tax policy state to state when it’s the federal government that should be dealing with health care, child care and affordability—all of which are national problems. Meanwhile, some Senate Democrats are proposing to take even more people out of the tax system entirely. None of these specific proposals make income taxes simpler or fairer, but they do suggest there’s an appetite for reform. 

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Chapters:

00:01:18 Announcements

00:02:33 Retcon: Occupational Licenses

00:06:16 Terms & Conditions: Progressive

00:07:59  Big Pilcrow: Everyone Wants to Tax Millionaires

00:38:23  Executive Orders: Unreadable Menus and Tax Complainer Merch

00:41:42  Spiritual Sponsors: Dream Robin & the Nobel Laureate’s WNBA Contract

Got economics questions, anxieties, or executive orders? Send them to optimist.economy@gmail.com

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

You're used to hearing my voice on the world, bringing you interviews from around the globe.

0:07.2

And you hear me reporting environment and climate news. I'm Carolyn Beeler.

0:12.1

And I'm Marco Werman. We're now with you hosting the world together. More global journalism with a fresh new sound.

0:18.3

Listen to the world on your local public radio station and wherever you find your podcasts.

0:30.1

More professional every week.

0:31.9

More professional every week in this unpaid internship that Robert and I gave ourselves mid-career.

0:37.8

Exactly.

0:40.3

Hello, and welcome to Optimist Economy.

0:47.3

I'm economist Catherine Ann Edwards.

0:49.3

I'm editor Robin Rousey.

0:51.3

On this show, we believe the U.S. economy can be better,

0:53.3

and we talk about how to get there, one problem and solution at a time.

1:03.7

Today, big old problem.

1:06.6

Taxes.

1:09.8

It's our second tax episode of the tax season.

1:13.2

We're playing to the home crowd in L.A. because we all know Robin loves a tax story.

1:17.9

That's true. It's true.

1:19.8

So this episode we want to talk about who should pay income taxes and will the spate of

1:26.8

millionaire, billionaire income wealth taxes make them flee?

1:30.5

Okay.

1:31.5

Wherever the taxes coming from.

1:33.0

I guess I should have like there's like an end to that sentence of like flee like the world.

...

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