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Highlights
- When the mundane reality of paying taxes takes on moral significance In My Tax Dollars, Ruth Braunstein maps the contested moral landscape in which Americans experience and make sense of the tax system.
- About the Author: Ruth Braunstein is associate professor of sociology at the University of Connecticut and the author of Prophets and Patriots: Faith in Democracy Across the Political Divide.
- 256 Pages
- Philosophy, Ethics & Moral Philosophy
Description
About the Book
"When the mundane reality of paying taxes takes on moral significance. In My Tax Dollars, Ruth Braunstein maps the contested moral landscape in which Americans experience and make sense of the tax system. Braunstein tells the stories of Americans who view taxpaying as more than a mundane chore: antigovernment tax defiers who challenge the legitimacy of the tax system, antiwar activists who resist the use of their taxes to fund war, antiabortion activists against "taxpayer funded abortions," and a diverse group of people who promote taxpaying as a moral good. Though taxpaying is often portrayed as dull and technical, exposure to collective rituals, civic education, propaganda, and protest transforms the practice for many Americans into either a sacred rite of citizenship or a profane threat to what they hold dear. These sacred and profane meanings can apply to the act of taxpaying itself or to the specific uses of tax dollars. Despite intense disagreement about these meanings, politically diverse Americans engaged in both taxpaying and tax resistance valorize the individual taxpayer and "my tax dollars." Braunstein explores the profound implications of this meaning making for tax consent, the legitimacy of the tax system, and citizens' broader understandings of their political relationships. Going beyond the usual focus on tax policy, Braunstein's innovative view of taxation through the lens of cultural sociology shows how citizens in value-diverse societies coalesce around shared visions of the sacred and fears of the profane"--Book Synopsis
When the mundane reality of paying taxes takes on moral significance
In My Tax Dollars, Ruth Braunstein maps the contested moral landscape in which Americans experience and make sense of the tax system. Braunstein tells the stories of Americans who view taxpaying as more than a mundane chore: antigovernment tax defiers who challenge the legitimacy of the tax system, antiwar activists who resist the use of their taxes to fund war, antiabortion activists against "taxpayer funded abortions," and a diverse group of people who promote taxpaying as a moral good. Though taxpaying is often portrayed as dull and technical, exposure to collective rituals, civic education, propaganda, and protest transforms the practice for many Americans into either a sacred rite of citizenship or a profane threat to what they hold dear. These sacred and profane meanings can apply to the act of taxpaying itself or to the specific uses of tax dollars. Despite intense disagreement about these meanings, politically diverse Americans engaged in both taxpaying and tax resistance valorize the individual taxpayer and "my tax dollars." Braunstein explores the profound implications of this meaning making for tax consent, the legitimacy of the tax system, and citizens' broader understandings of their political relationships. Going beyond the usual focus on tax policy, Braunstein's innovative view of taxation through the lens of cultural sociology shows how citizens in value-diverse societies coalesce around shared visions of the sacred and fears of the profane.About the Author
Ruth Braunstein is associate professor of sociology at the University of Connecticut and the author of Prophets and Patriots: Faith in Democracy Across the Political Divide.Dimensions (Overall): 9.21 Inches (H) x 6.14 Inches (W) x .75 Inches (D)
Weight: 1.27 Pounds
Suggested Age: 22 Years and Up
Number of Pages: 256
Genre: Philosophy
Sub-Genre: Ethics & Moral Philosophy
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Format: Hardcover
Author: Ruth Braunstein
Language: English
Street Date: April 15, 2025
TCIN: 92341256
UPC: 9780691254982
Item Number (DPCI): 247-33-5769
Origin: Made in the USA or Imported
Shipping details
Estimated ship dimensions: 0.75 inches length x 6.14 inches width x 9.21 inches height
Estimated ship weight: 1.27 pounds
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