Bob Lord

Bob has mostly wound down his 39-year career as a tax and business lawyer (with a 1-year interruption to run for Congress in 2008 (CD3), when he tried to unseat John Shadegg. Bob now serves as the senior advisor on tax policy for the Patriotic Millionaires, a group of wealthy Americans who believe the light taxation of America's rich is destabilizing our democracy, and as an associate fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies. Bob has been writing for Blog For Arizona since late 2011, concentrating mostly on federal issues, with an occasional foray into Arizona state politics.

Sports Teams: The Everlasting Tax Shelter for Billionaires

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Remember the Everlasting Gobstopper from Willie Wonka’s chocolate factory? It was a candy for children with “very little pocket money.” It lasted forever, never getting smaller, and was perpetually flavorful. There’s a non-fiction equivalent, except it’s not for children — or anyone else — with “very little pocket money.” Or even average pocket money. Actually, … Read more

STEP Act: The Critical First Blow to Millionaire Income Tax Avoidance

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New legislation would put an end to an income tax windfall for millionaires and their descendants. [Cross-posted from Inequality.org] America’s income tax system is based the principle that income derived from both work and wealth is subject to tax. Just as workers pay tax on their wages, wealthy individuals should pay tax on their investment … Read more

America’s Future: Trillionaire Trust Fund Babies?

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Billionaire wealth is exploding. They’re passing that wealth to heirs and heiresses virtually tax-free. [Distributed via OtherWords.org] History doesn’t repeat itself, but sometimes, as the old saw goes, it rhymes. Take this year’s Forbes 400. If you listen close enough, you can hear echoes of the first Forbes list back in 1982 — you just have to turn it … Read more

Taxes on the Rich: One-Sixth of What They Used to Be

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A new IPS briefing paper highlights the unique role of tax policy in wealth concentration. By Chuck Collins, Bob Lord [Cross-posted from Inequality.org] [Note to BfAZ readers: I’ve cut my legal work way back to focus my efforts on helping to reverse the horrendous tax policy choices of the past four decades. This piece I … Read more