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 the Democracy Forum here.

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.