The Problem With Tax Education

I’m a fan of 50 cent, but I’m also a CPA, and I can’t stand by and watch the reaction in my community about his comments on Biden’s tax rates. I’ve also listened carefully to the arguments for Trump’s tax plan. Specifically the comments from Candace Owens arguing why 50 cent was “right”. Both sides are missing the point.

I’m not going to talk about the details of either candidate’s tax plans yet. It’s my opinion that the details right now are insignificant. You’ve likely decided who you’re going to vote for already. Some topics outweigh others. My goal is not to change your mind about your candidate choice through an explanation of taxes. Instead, let’s take a step back.

What’s In A Name?

My goal is to get the word taxes, and the word rates out of your vocabulary, at least in the short term. But to do that we need to talk about taxes. So the first entry point into our discussion about taxes has to be to talk about what makes us miss the forest for the trees.

When Ta-Nehisi Coates spoke with Chris Hayes in the interview below, he talked about what it feels like to write fiction. Fiction feels more closed off [from the world], he says, when writing non-fiction I am operating in the world of Chris Hayes, and everybody, it’s a mutual thing you’re working in. Whereas in fiction, it’s just your world. Even…