Daylight Robbery, Dominic Frisby
Daylight Robbery, Dominic Frisby
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Daylight Robbery
How Tax Shaped Our Past and Will Change Our Future

Author: Dominic Frisby

Narrator: Dominic Frisby

Unabridged: 8 hr 48 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 10/17/2019


Synopsis

'Fuel for the post-Christmas lunch argument' Financial Times

Death and taxes are our inevitable fate. We've been told this since the beginning of civilisation. But what if we stopped to question our antiquated system? Is it fair? And is it capable of serving the needs of our rapidly-changing, modern society?

In Daylight Robbery, Dominic Frisby traces the origins of taxation, from its roots in the ancient world, through to today. He explores the role of tax in the formation of our global religions, the part tax played in wars and revolutions throughout the ages, why, at one stage, we paid tax for daylight or for growing a beard. Ranging from the despotic to the absurd, the tax laws of the past reveal so much about how we got to where we are today and what we can do to build a system fit for the future.

'This entertaining, surprising, contrarian book is a tour de force!' - Matt Ridley, author of The Evolution of Everything

'In this spectacular gallop through history, Frisby shows how taxation has warped, stunted and thwarted human progress' - Mark Littlewood, Director General, Institute of Economic Affairs

'Against all expectations, Dominic's book on tax is a real page-turner. His historical interpretation and utopian ideas will outrage Left and Right. Both should read the book' - Steve Baker, MP for Wycombe and Member of the House of Commons Treasury Committee

'Fascinating book which exposes the political and economic basis of tax. A must read for those of us who believe in simpler, lower taxes' - Rt Hon Liz Truss, MP for South West Norfolk, Secretary of State for International Trade and President of the Board of Trade

'Both amusing and informative, it's a romp' - Bill Bonner, author of Empire of Debt

Reviews

Goodreads review by Dominic on October 21, 2019

I thought this book was just great. But then I would think that - I wrote it! I hope you find reading it as fascinating and engaging as I did writing it.......more

Goodreads review by Tom on February 05, 2020

All but the last Chapter was very informative and based on logical evidence, the last chapter was the downside. After just writing every other chapter, exposing how taxation has caused many issues in society, the last chapter was more of a brainfart. Insanity is doing something that has been proven......more

Goodreads review by Pedro on May 07, 2020

This book. Appropriate adjectives: important (make it: really, really important); remarkable (make it: absolutely remarkable; visionary (make it: relevantly visionary). I do not agree with the whole of Frisby's world view, but it's irrelevant. The text is brilliant, the discussion is intelligent, th......more

Goodreads review by Richard on April 17, 2021

Daylight Robbery sounds like a textbook but reads like a story! At first I was hesitant to. read it. But once I got started I got hooked by Frisby's well organized and interesting stories about how we have gotten hooked by the tax man! If for no other reason than this (the use of taxes for such thin......more

Goodreads review by Billiam on January 04, 2022

A fascinating view on the perrenial nature of tax, and illumination of the huge flaws in the traditional financial system. A gateway book into the world of Crypto.......more


Quotes

With dazzling clarity, Frisby illuminates just how much of history is explained by arguments over tax, from Magna Carta to the American civil war to today's political debates. This entertaining, surprising, contrarian book is a tour de force Matt Ridley, author of The Evolution of Everything

An engaging and informative trip through tax history that leads on to some radical suggestions for the future. A must-read for anyone thinking about how our tax system should be structured Roger Bootle, author of The AI Economy

A real page-turner! Dominic Frisby's historical interpretation and utopian ideas will outrage Left and Right. Both should read this book! Steve Baker, MP for Wycombe, member of the House of Commons Treasury Committee

In this spectacular gallop through history, Frisby shows how taxation has warped, stunted and thwarted human progress. An absolute must-read for anyone who thinks higher taxes are the answer to our ills. Should be compulsory reading for anyone who aspires to high political office! Mark Littlewood, Director General, Institute of Economic Affairs

A fascinating book which exposes the political and economic basis of tax. A must read for those of us who believe in simpler, lower taxes Rt Hon Liz Truss, MP for South West Norfolk, Secretary of State for International Trade and President of the Board of Trade

It has been said that the income tax created more criminals than any other single act of government. Dominic Frisby masterfully delves into the fascinating topic of taxation, vividly bringing it to life Jon Matonis Monetary Economist

An utterly gripping account of the impact of taxes on the course of civilisation Simon Evans, Comedian

A fantastic education on the surprising ways tax policies have shaped mankind's past and will impact our future Roger Ver, Chairman, Bitcoin.com

A brilliant book full of insights into how governments have fleeced us down the ages. This is a must read for anyone interested in how technology might at last tilt things back in favour of the citizen rather than the state Douglas Carswell, MP for Clacton, Co-founder Vote Leave

How when and where we pay tax affects everything - how and where we work, how we save, when we retire, whether we marry or not, whether we live in houses we own or not and sometimes even how many children we have. Few of us think properly about the way this shapes our lives and societies. With this well-written and hugely engaging book Dominic Frisby might be about to change that Merryn Somerset Webb, Editor in chief of Moneyweek