Vanessa Williamson

Text of the poem Jason Statham asks nothing of me

Today I found in the NYROB this ode to Jason Statham

What do the rich owe the rest of us?: A conversation on taxation and democracy Panelists Brian Galle, Professor of Law, UC Berkeley Ray Madoff, Professor, Boston College Law School Emmanuel Saez, Professor of Economics, UC Berkeley Vanessa Williamson, Senior Fellow, Brookings In...

On March 10 at 4pm-5:30pm, I’ll be moderating a panel discussion at UC Berkeley on a question that’s been on many of our minds (and with increasing urgency) over the past year:

“What do the rich owe the rest of us?”

Details and registration:
besi.berkeley.edu/event/what-d...

The IRS is going into this tax season vastly unprepared. On ABC News Live, @vanessawilliamson.bsky.social warned that with fewer IRS staff focused on fraud prevention and complicated new tax provisions in place, taxpayers should file early to avoid delays and protect their refunds.

"That a representative body should constrain the executive’s fiscal power dates to Magna Carta in 1215... the framers gave Congress alone the power 'to lay and collect taxes' [because] untrammeled executive power over public money opens the door to tyranny."
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/17/o...

Opinion | Trump Is Raising Billions in Federal Funds. That’s Not a Good Thing.

"People tend to associate democratic erosion with election interference and violent police crackdowns. But there’s a quieter tell that a democracy is endangered: the dissolution of laws that protect public money."

New article from me and Aziz Huq: www.nytimes.com/2026/02/17/o...

Vanessa Williamson speaks in a classroom

So thrilled to share this overview of a timely new book from @vanessawilliamson.bsky.social, as she talks with APEX about "The Price of Democracy" and how battles over taxes define who belongs in 'We the People' bit.ly/4aXIBSj @jacobhacker.bsky.social

NYU Tax Law Center has an excellent explainer of taxpayer privacy laws:

taxlawcenter.org/taxpayer-dat...

In addition to the serious criminal penalties, taxpayers can sue for civil damages.

Essential new reporting from @jacobbogage.bsky.social : IRS erroneously shared info for "thousands" of taxpayers beyond the 47,000 individuals who we knew had their data shared under the IRS-ICE MOU (data sharing that has since been stayed by the courts).

www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...

The Federal Tax System Explained Tax administrators and the courts play a critical and often overlooked role in the tax system. This project focuses on these institutions and the impact of their work.

This is a really excellent resource!
taxlawcenter.org/the-federal-...

JUST IN: A federal judge has barred ICE and DHS from using taxpayer information provided by the IRS.

Judge Talwani says that DHS' view that noncitizens lack 4th amendment rights — combined with ICE use of administrative warrants — is a recipe for abuse.

storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

Non-tax-related PSA: If you, like me, got your measles vaccine in the 1980s, you might need an MMR booster. Your doctor can check your immunity levels (mine did, and I need a booster!)

www.health.harvard.edu/diseases-and...

'Setting this agency up for failure': Amid staffing crunch, IRS taps employees with no relevant experience to assist during filing season The tax agency is taking unusual steps to prepare for its busy season after watchdog finds it is severely underprepared.

Remember, ruining the ability of our democracy to fund itself is the point, not a mistake

We Don’t Know How Many People File Their Taxes For Free. Congress Could Fix That Better data would give policymakers the tools they need to evaluate tradeoffs and design tax filing options that are fairer, cheaper, and easier for all taxpayers.

Really useful article from Margot Crandall-Hollick and Aravind Boddupalli on what we know and don't know about how much Americans pay to file their income taxes:

taxpolicycenter.org/taxvox/we-do...

Vanessa Williamson next to a cover of her book: The Price of Democracy: The Revolutionary Power of Taxation in American History

Yale Community: Please join us for a lunch talk at noon next Tuesday (2/10) with @vanessawilliamson.bsky.social about her book “The Price of Democracy: The Revolutionary Power of Taxation in American History.” Register to attend: bit.ly/4r1X46r

Star Tribune Your source for Minnesota news today. Read articles, view photos or watch videos about news in Minneapolis, St. Paul, Duluth, St. Cloud, Rochester, and beyond.

I just subscribed: www.startribune.com/subscribe

People’s budget We live at a time of acute fiscal stress and conflict in large parts of the world. With public deficits bulging, little is as contentious as how much

I've got a new piece in @thetls.bsky.social on the fraught relationship between taxation and democracy -- based on reading of 2 important and very good new books, by @vanessawilliamson.bsky.social & Ray Madoff

Reupping this thread as news breaks that DOGE officials at the Social Security Administration signed a "voter data agreement" with an advocacy group whose aim is to "find evidence of voter fraud and to overturn election results in certain states," according to court filings by SSA today.

The Spotlight also features crucial work on tax administration by journalists, researchers, and advocates. And we will keep updating the Spotlight, adding more data and analysis as it becomes available.

(Are we missing a resource? Let us know at IRSspotlight@brookings.edu)

Organization chart of IRS highlighting changes in 2025

Graph of IRS workforce numbers over time

We've extracted and compiled years of data from IRS, TIGTA, and the Taxpayer Advocate, among other sources, and made visualizations of key data to help make tax administration more accessible to the public.

The IRS Spotlight | Brookings The IRS Spotlight provides researchers, journalists, and the public with regularly updated and accessible data and analysis regarding federal tax administration.

📣 📣 Just in time for tax season, we're launching the Brookings "IRS Spotlight": datasets & analysis on all things IRS, safe from govt shutdowns and data purges.

Want info on call wait times? Leadership turnover? IRS-ICE data sharing? We’ve got you covered:

www.brookings.edu/projects/the...

also, bureaucracy isn't just the vitally important slow boring of hard boards, it can also be a powerful force for a more democratic culture and a freer, less authoritarian society! from @vanessawilliamson.bsky.social's book about the history of taxation in the US:

Pew Research Center is seeking a Data Archivist to support our commitment to open science and data transparency. This newly created role will play a key part in enhancing the accessibility, usability, and reproducibility of our research data while continuing to protect the privacy and identity of our survey participants. As Data Archivist, you will lead efforts to create and implement best practices for preparing, documenting, and disseminating datasets. These best practices should maximize FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) principles while minimizing disclosure risk. You will work across teams to ensure our data is well-organized and thoroughly documented. You will serve as an internal advocate for data users, helping to ensure that our datasets are not only accurate and comprehensive but also easy to discover and reuse by researchers, journalists, and the public. This is a full-time, Pew Research Center position. The position is funded by an external grant and limited to a two-year term.

Primary Responsibilities Develop optimization procedures to improve discoverability of our datasets on internal and external platforms Develop and maintain standards to improve accessibility of our microdata and tab plans by changing/adding formats and/or adding documentation Identify metadata documentation best practices and a process to implement those best practices at the Center Work with Legal to evaluate most appropriate license to publicly share the Center's survey data, including Creative Common options Identify and correct processing inefficiencies in our data publication process Sit on the internal Disclosure Risk Taskforce Document analytical decisions and code to support transparency and replicability, including the development of a RACI chart for publishing code to recreate derived variables that are used in reports but are not included in the microdata Manage/create merged time series datasets for select Center datasets Identify a process for internally archiving data and projects that are no longer in active use Identify and implement a process to assign Digital Object Identifiers (DOI) to microdata Prepare and upload public-facing datasets and restricted-use datasets for external sharing. Train staff on FAIR principles and best practices in data archiving.

Education/Training/Experience Bachelor’s degree required, preferably in library sciences, organizational management, or a related field. 5-7 years of experience with data archiving, database management, or survey research. This may include graduate training at the MA/PhD level or equivalent experience in an applied setting. At least 3-5 years of experience applying FAIR and open science principles. Background in social science research or data curation. Experience in data management, archiving, or research support. Familiarity with FAIR principles, Creative Common licensing, data privacy principles, and exposure risk. Proficiency in metadata standards and documentation tools. Experience managing research projects, including working collaboratively with a multidisciplinary team. Experience with statistical software (e.g., R, Python, Stata) and reproducible research workflows. Knowledge, Skill and Workplace Requirements Strong organizational and communication skills. Detail oriented with exacting standards to maintain accuracy and impartiality in all work products. Ability to work independently to carry out special projects from start to finish. Ability to balance numerous tasks simultaneously. Ability to work collaboratively and collegially with other team members, as well as with staff from other Pew Research Center teams. Ability to balance competing priorities and identify optimal solutions FLSA Status: Exempt Compensation: Starting salary is commensurate with experience within the range of $100,000 - $120,000. Hybrid Work Schedule: Pew Research Center staff are required to be present in the Center’s Washington, D.C., office three core days weekly (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday). Staff may work virtually from remote locations on other days in a typical work week.

Please share - @pewresearch.org wants to hire a data archivist who will be an advocate for data users, helping to ensure that our datasets are easy to discover and reuse by researchers, journalists, and the public.
pewtrusts.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/CenterExtern...

Five years ago today, many people simply woke up on January 6, 2021 and went to work in and around the Capitol to serve their country in ways big and small, only to be met with violence. Their stories are many, and they are still with me.

Last fall, former IRS commissioner Danny Werfel and I had a great conversation at @brookings.edu about the role of taxation in the preservation of democracy --- and now you can watch it on CSPAN's "Book TV"!

Christmas ornament celebrating the 80th anniversary of the IRS

Many happy returns!

This story broke weeks ago. How did the Internet fail to tell me.

I thought I had made my interests clear: Weird tax news. Weird animal news.

Is an elephant shrew reporting pass through income? A harbor seal angle on "no tax on tips"? Please let me know ASAP

The snail farm don: is this the most brazen tax avoidance scheme of all time? The long read: Terry Ball – renowned shoe salesman, friend to former mafiosi – has resolved to spend his last years finding ways to cheat authorities he feels have cheated him. His greatest ruse? A ta...

A man is BREEDING SNAILS in office buildings and calling it "snail farm" to avoid hundreds of thousands in tax. 🐌🐌🐌🐌.

www.theguardian.com/news/ng-inte...

Democracy Comes With a Bill Attached: A Tax-Centered History of America | Tax Notes

"Most histories of American democracy start with voting rights or constitutional design," Joe Thorndike writes. "But Vanessa Williamson begins with a different focus: She wants to know who’s picking up the tab."

Read the review of @vanessawilliamson.bsky.social's book: https://taxnotes.co/4qfVZHm

Who’s Included in 'We the People'? Taxes and the Fight for Democracy - Tax Notes Talk Vanessa Williamson, author of The Price of Democracy, discusses her argument that the history of American fights over fiscal fairness reveals a connection between taxation and democratic power.For mor...

Be jealous, tax nerds: I got to talk tax history with the legendary @joethorndike.bsky.social !!
taxnotestalk.taxnotes.com/124942/episo...

YouTube video by Patriotic Millionaires The Real Reason Billionaires Undermine Democracy

Thanks so much to @patrioticmillionaires.org for giving me the opportunity to speak at their conference. This was fun!