Podcast Summary: Today, Explained – The Great American Tax Revolt

Date: April 14, 2026
Hosts: Noel King, Sean Rameswaram (not present in transcript)
Guests: Eric Levitz (Vox), Isaac Martin (UC San Diego)

Overview

This episode tackles the growing discontent among Americans around paying taxes, with a special focus on current polling, partisan dynamics, and historical comparison to the late-1970s “tax revolts.” The hosts investigate what’s driving today’s anti-tax sentiment, how politicians are responding, the implications for government services, and revisit the infamous California Proposition 13 as a cautionary tale.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. A Nation Increasingly Hostile to Taxes

[02:07-03:42]

• Surge in Tax Discontent: After the pandemic, Gallup polls track a sharp rise in Americans believing their taxes are “too high” — from 46% in 2020 to 59% in 2025.
• Disconnect with Reality: Eric Levitz highlights that actual tax rates are very low historically, but public anger has climbed regardless.
  • "Americans are about as upset with their tax burden as in modern history. And yet...the actual amount of taxes...are the lowest in modern history or just about." (Eric Levitz, [03:11])
• Anecdotal Frustrations: Callers and social media users share stories of being overwhelmed by tax bills, often with little clarity on how their money is spent.
  • "What, where does my money go? Why don't I have a say, like Social Security? Why can't I opt out for that?" ([03:05])

2. Not Just a “Red” Revolt – Bipartisan Grumpiness

[03:42-04:22]

• Both Sides Grumpy: Republicans are traditionally more anti-tax, but Democrats, too, are trending in that direction.
  • "Both coalitions are trending in the same direction. Democrats aren't quite as far along ...but they're both moving towards more hostility." (Eric Levitz, [03:49])

3. How States and Washington Are Responding

[04:22-07:43]

A) Red State Rebellions

[04:22-05:20]

• Property Tax Woes: GOP-led states like Texas, Idaho, Florida implement major property tax cuts. Some consider eliminating property taxes for non-school purposes altogether.
• Notable Quote:
  • "For being on your property, you got to write a check to the government every year." ([05:14], sponsor/archival clip)

B) Federal Tax Policy – The “Ratchet Effect”

[05:21-07:43]

• Recent Trump Tax Cuts: New bill extended earlier tax cuts, added “no tax on tips,” “no tax on Social Security,” and more breaks for various groups.
  • “Last year, the Trump administration...enacted a tax cut bill that costs well over $3 trillion...including the much ballyhooed no tax on tips, which Democrats have subsequently embraced as well.” (Eric Levitz, [06:02])
• Bipartisan Reluctance to Raise Taxes: Each party, once in power, preserves cuts except for the top earners, leading to a downward spiral in tax rates.
  • “There's this ratchet down...of what is considered...the normal bipartisan conventional wisdom about how much middle class Americans should pay in taxes.” (Eric Levitz, [07:21])

4. Democratic Party: Big Promises, Small Appetite for Broad Taxes

[07:43-10:02]

• Democrats’ Contradiction: Want to grow the social safety net, but promise not to raise taxes on anyone but the rich.
  • “Democrats have kind of gotten more ambitious about...increasing government spending...But they're also increasingly terrified of calling for taxes on anybody but the rich.” (Eric Levitz, [07:58])
• Affluent Base Shifts Democratic Policy: The party is more invested in the upper middle class now than ever, moving the “no tax increase” income line up to $400,000 under Biden.
• Emerging ‘Resistance’ Tax Evasion: Some progressives now frame tax resistance as protest against Trump-era policies.
  • "Anyone who pays their taxes is funding Donald Trump's wars and ICE detention facilities." (Eric Levitz via new resistance movement, [09:15])

5. Root Causes of the Tax Backlash

[10:19–11:41]

• Inflation and Property Taxes: Covid-era inflation drove up everyday costs and housing prices, translating into higher property taxes.
• Plummeting Political Trust: Both parties’ bases increasingly view the other as dangerous, and thus resent sending any money for the other’s priorities.
  • “If you think that one of your nation's major political parties...is morally abominable...you might not want to give them more of your paycheck.” (Eric Levitz, [10:57])

6. Where Are We Headed? The Impending Collision

[11:41–13:30]

• Unsolvable Math: Both parties promise more services and less revenue, appeasing their current support bases but setting the country up for fiscal crisis.
  • “Democrats are really committed to expanding the social safety net...yet they have no appetite for broad based tax increases...Republicans want to cut taxes more and more and more.” (Eric Levitz,[12:09])
• Big Question: What will the parties actually prioritize as this contradiction becomes unsustainable?

7. A Historical Warning: The 1970s Tax Revolt and Prop 13

[17:33-26:50] (Guest: Isaac Martin)

• 1970s Parallels: Isaac Martin contextualizes today’s mood with the property tax revolt that began in California and spread nationwide.
• Prop 13 Details:
  • Capped property tax at 1%
  • Capped assessment increases to 2% per year
  • Allowed intergenerational transfer of tax breaks
  • Started as a populist reaction to sudden, sharper assessments after modernization of tax administration
  • “Proposition 13 is a big deal for a few reasons. The first is that it really very dramatically changed the state's tax structure.” (Isaac Martin, [19:18])
• Consequences:
  • Major drop in local government revenues
  • Declining school funding and infrastructure
  • Increased fiscal volatility (boom and bust cycles)
  • Created unfairness: new buyers in the same neighborhood might pay vastly higher taxes
  • “You could want your government for free, but you can't get it for free.” (Isaac Martin, [27:02])
• How It Happened: Grassroots anger + charismatic, persistent activists (notably Howard Jarvis), plus a simple pitch: lower your property taxes by signing.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• [03:11] “Americans are about as upset with their tax burden as in modern history. And yet...the actual amount of taxes...are the lowest in modern history or just about.” – Eric Levitz
• [03:49] “Both coalitions are trending in the same direction. Democrats aren’t quite as far along as Republicans are, but they’re both moving towards more hostility towards taxes.” – Eric Levitz
• [05:14] “Is it your property or not? Just for being on your property, you gotta write a check to the government every year.” – Sponsor/archival (used as political rhetoric)
• [07:21] “There's this ratchet down over the 21st century where what is considered...the normal bipartisan conventional wisdom about how much middle class Americans should pay in taxes keeps going down.” – Eric Levitz
• [09:15] “Anyone who pays their taxes is funding Donald Trump's wars and ICE detention facilities and that we all therefore have a civic responsibility to cheat the IRS.” – Paraphrased by Eric Levitz, describing resistance influencers
• [10:57] “If you think that one of your nation's major political parties...is morally abominable and is going to do absolutely outrageous things with the government funds...then you might not want to give them more of your paycheck.” – Eric Levitz
• [19:18] “Proposition 13 is a big deal for a few reasons. The first is that it really very dramatically changed the state's tax structure.” – Isaac Martin
• [27:02] “You can want your government for free but you can't get it for free. The lesson here is that we really value...a lot of the public services public goods that our governments provide.” – Isaac Martin
• [26:50] (On unfairness) “Now you might actually pay a lot more tax than somebody else in your neighborhood who again, has an identical home worth the same amount of money just because they bought their home earlier than you did.” – Isaac Martin

Important Timestamps

• 02:07 – Eric Levitz introduces the rise in anti-tax sentiment
• 03:11 – Discontent is high despite historically low tax rates
• 04:22–05:20 – Red states' tax policies; property tax revolts
• 06:02–07:43 – The “ratchet effect” of federal tax policy
• 08:33 – Democrats’ reluctance to raise taxes on non-rich households
• 09:15 – Emergence of anti-Trump, anti-tax resistance rhetoric
• 11:41–13:30 – The parties’ clashing promises and coming fiscal reckoning
• 17:33 – Start of Prop 13 historical segment with Isaac Martin
• 19:18 – Detailed breakdown of Prop 13 effects
• 26:50–27:02 – Isaac Martin's major warnings and lessons

Conclusion & Takeaways

• Nationwide, Americans’ anti-tax mood is deepening, crossing party and generational lines, even as actual taxes remain comparatively low.
• Policymakers face an unsustainable contradiction: growing promises of services and ongoing tax cuts or caps.
• History warns of permanent consequences: California’s Prop 13 offers a vivid example of how “tax revolts” can erode the quality and fairness of public goods.
• The core question: Not “should I pay less tax?” but “what are we willing to give up if we do?”

For further context, listen to the episode or check out Vox.com’s reporting on the American tax debate.