Rebellion, Rascals, and Revenue: Tax Follies and Wisdom Through the Ages

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By Michael Keen and Joel Slemrod ’73

Published March 23, 2021

In his book, Slemrod and his co-author discusses seemingly illogical and at times preposterous systems of taxation from history, such as Tsar Peter the Great’s tax on beards, to help us better make sense of current tax policy debates.

Paw in print

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PAW's October 2025 cover, featuring a photo of stuntman Kent De Mond ’07 with his back on fire.
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September 2025

Stuntman Kent De Mond ’07 is on fire; Endowment tax fallout; Pilot Michael Holl ’03 trains Qataris