We’ll talk about taxes and democracy. Everyone complains about paying taxes. But what if we need taxation if we want the benefits of democracy? If democracy costs money, who should pay for itl? 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:

• Garrett Martin, President and CEO, Maine Center for Economic Policy.

• 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.

Learn more about the Democracy Forum here.

Tune into the broadcast at 4:00 p.m., Friday, August 21, 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.