Friday, May 15, 2026
LWV-Downeast
We’ll talk about taxes and democracy. Everyone complains about paying taxes. But do we need to have taxation if we want the benefits of democracy? If democracy costs money, who pays the bill? Author Vanessa Williamson argues that some of the most important battles that shape our democracy hinge on one issue—taxes. How has that played out in our history. How is it playing out in this moment? And how is it playing out in Maine?
Special guests:
- Vanessa Williamson, senior fellow in Governance Studies at Brookings, and a senior fellow at the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center. Author of the book, The Price of Democracy.
- Garrett Martin, President and CEO, Maine Center for Economic Policy.
Learn more about this topic:
- Will California's Wealth Tax Raise $100B or Lose $25B? | The Everywhere Millionaire, May 2026
- Our Tax System Should Make Us Furious | The New York Times, interview with Ray Maydoff, April 2026
- Everything you know about the Boston Tea Party is wrong | Boston Globe, Vanessa Williamson, April 2026
- So Nobody Is Going to Pay Taxes Now? | The Atlantic, Annie Lowrey, April 2026
- Taxation is representation | The Ink, with Vanessa Williamson, April 2026
- Welcome to the Golden Age of Dumb, Bespoke Tax Policy | The Bulwark, April 2026
- At Least 88 Profitable U.S. Corporations Paid Zero Federal Income Tax in 2025 | ITEP, April 2026
- Heather Cox Richardson: American Conversations with Vanessa Williams, March 2026
- Introducing the IRS Spotlight | Brookings, January 2026
- The Price of Democracy by Vanessa S. Williamson | Hachette Book Group, November 2025
- Tax Fairness — An Explainer | MECEP, July 2025
- Red, White, and Due: Talking Taxes with Vanessa Williamson | What Could Go Right Podcast, May 2024
- Who Pays? 7th Edition | ITEP, February 2024
- Pew Research Center: What makes a good citizen? Top responses: Voting, paying taxes, following law | NKyTribune, July 2019
Tune into the broadcast at 4:00 p.m., Friday, May 15, on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, streaming at weru.org. If you miss the broadcast, check back here for the audio archive. Subscribe to our podcast: iTunes | Spotify | Android.