John L. Campbell is Class of 1925 Professor and Professor of Sociology Emeritus at Dartmouth College. A leading scholar of how institutions and politics affect policymaking and economic performance in advanced capitalist countries, he is the author of several books including Institutions Under Siege: Donald Trump's Attack on the Deep State (2023), What Capitalism Needs: Forgotten Lessons of Great Economists (2021), and American Discontent: The Rise of Donald Trump and Decline of the Golden Age (2018).

'Conservative claims about taxes have been a staple of American politics for many decades. They can sound appealing (who does not want to pay lower taxes?) and even reasonable (government is surely wasteful, and taxes choke economic activity). But facts, Campbell shows, tell us otherwise. At last, here is the definitive debunking of those myths.' Francesco Duina, Charles A. Dana Professor of Sociology, Bates College

• 1. Conservative Myths About Tax Cuts; 2. Too High, or Much Ado About Nothing?; 3. Crippling Economic Performance?; 4. Waste Not, Want Not?; 5. What's Fair?; 6. Freedom Under Siege?; 7. The Persistence of Myths.

John L. Campbell is Class of 1925 Professor and Professor of Sociology Emeritus at Dartmouth College. A leading scholar of how institutions and politics affect policymaking and economic performance in advanced capitalist countries, he is the author of several books including Institutions Under Siege: Donald Trump's Attack on the Deep State (2023), What Capitalism Needs: Forgotten Lessons of Great Economists (2021), and American Discontent: The Rise of Donald Trump and Decline of the Golden Age (2018).

'Conservative claims about taxes have been a staple of American politics for many decades. They can sound appealing (who does not want to pay lower taxes?) and even reasonable (government is surely wasteful, and taxes choke economic activity). But facts, Campbell shows, tell us otherwise. At last, here is the definitive debunking of those myths.' Francesco Duina, Charles A. Dana Professor of Sociology, Bates College

• 1. Conservative Myths About Tax Cuts; 2. Too High, or Much Ado About Nothing?; 3. Crippling Economic Performance?; 4. Waste Not, Want Not?; 5. What's Fair?; 6. Freedom Under Siege?; 7. The Persistence of Myths.

John L. Campbell is Class of 1925 Professor and Professor of Sociology Emeritus at Dartmouth College. A leading scholar of how institutions and politics affect policymaking and economic performance in advanced capitalist countries, he is the author of several books including Institutions Under Siege: Donald Trump's Attack on the Deep State (2023), What Capitalism Needs: Forgotten Lessons of Great Economists (2021), and American Discontent: The Rise of Donald Trump and Decline of the Golden Age (2018).

'Conservative claims about taxes have been a staple of American politics for many decades. They can sound appealing (who does not want to pay lower taxes?) and even reasonable (government is surely wasteful, and taxes choke economic activity). But facts, Campbell shows, tell us otherwise. At last, here is the definitive debunking of those myths.' Francesco Duina, Charles A. Dana Professor of Sociology, Bates College

• 1. Conservative Myths About Tax Cuts; 2. Too High, or Much Ado About Nothing?; 3. Crippling Economic Performance?; 4. Waste Not, Want Not?; 5. What's Fair?; 6. Freedom Under Siege?; 7. The Persistence of Myths.