Taxes! They’re the life-blood of our communities and public services. They’re the great equalizer that funds education, healthcare, retirement, and social programs for rich and poor alike. And they’re also incredibly boring.

But taxes don’t need to be boring. They’re how we were able to get men on the moon. They’re how we beat back Nazism. And they could be how we avoid climate catastrophe with a resurgence in green industry, good jobs, and high-tech solutions.

They don’t have to be complex either: some of our foremost economists have pragmatic solutions to make filing easier for everyone and to make the super-rich and corporations pay their fair share, as you and I do.

After this discussion, you’ll understand the basic tax system, its fundamental flaws and inequalities, current acute problems and reforms, and how exciting a progressive and reformed tax system can really be. You’ll also have the chance to meet with and learn from a national tax-fairness advocacy group, The Patriotic Millionaires, whose work on tax reform has been featured in over 75 countries, and who have met with President Obama and local, state, and federal government countless times in their advocacy to fix our flawed tax system.

Finally, you’ll have the opportunity to make a big impact on national tax reform by signing up to meet with Congressman Richard Neal, Chairman of the US House Committee on Ways and Means, which is in charge of raising government taxes and overseeing the IRS. Congressman Neal is the person most able to spark tax reform and, since he is accountable to you, his constituents, you can have a huge outsized impact on his policies going forward. 

Speaker Bio: Tor Stumo is a former Sheffield resident and current engineering student involved in civic education and advocacy.

Program presented on Zoom. Register here.