Category Archives: Uncategorized

“What in France is called the personal taille is, perhaps, the most important tax upon the profits of stock employed in agriculture that is levied in any part of Europe.” (WN, V.ii.g.5) How should business firms and self-employed workers (e.g. … Continue reading →

One of my daughters (Adys Ann) asked me to post this number today; it’s her new favorite Laufey song. According to Wikipedia (links in the original; footnotes omitted), “‘How I Get’ was released as a single for the album’s deluxe … Continue reading →

We began our review of Adam Smith’s survey of “stamp-duties and duties upon registration” — i.e. stamp taxes and registration/recording fees — in my previous post. Today, I want to focus on Smith’s nuanced critique of France’s unpopular “tax farm” … Continue reading →

“There is no art which one government sooner learns of another than that of draining money from the pockets of the people.” (V.ii.h.12; my emphasis) At this point in The Wealth of Nations — i.e. between Articles 2 and 3 … Continue reading →

“In general there is not, perhaps, any one article of expence or consumption by which the liberality or narrowness of a man’s whole expence can be better judged of than by his house-rent.” (WN, V.ii.e.7) Thus far this week, we … Continue reading →

“The attention of the sovereign can be at best but a very general and vague consideration of what is likely to contribute to the better cultivation of the greater part of his dominions. The attention of the landlord is a … Continue reading →

Alternative title: Adam Smith’s Maxims of Taxation What does ICE and the IRS have in common? Broadly speaking, the main job of the IRS is to collect federal taxes; ICE’s job, by contrast, is to deport taxpayers! [1] For his … Continue reading →

We now turn to Part 1 of Chapter 2 of Book V of The Wealth of Nations. Here, Adam Smith surveys the two major “Sources of Revenue which may peculiarly belong to the Sovereign or Commonwealth” (WN, V.ii.a.1): capital and … Continue reading →

According to Wikipedia (links in the original), “Folded is a song by American singer Kehlani. It was released on June 13, 2025, via Atlantic Records as the lead single from her upcoming self-titled fifth studio album.”

Happy spring! We now turn to the next-to-last chapter of Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations: Book V, Chapter 2, which is available here. This chapter has two parts. Part One, consisting of 21 paragraphs, surveys “the Funds or Sources of … Continue reading →