Collection of Influential Essays on International Taxation by Professor Michael J. Graetz Published
Collection Provides Account of the Fundamental Principles Underlying Critical Analysis of International Taxation
New York, May 27, 2016—A wide-ranging collection of essays on international taxation written over two decades by leading tax policy expert Michael J. Graetz, the Columbia Alumni Professor of Tax Law at Columbia Law School, has been turned into a book made up of nine essays.
In Follow the Money: Essays on International Taxation, published by Yale Law Library, Graetz’ writings provide a detailed account of the fundamental principles underlying critical analysis of international taxation. His collection explains how current international tax policy came to be almost a century ago, explores the most prevalent tax avoidance techniques, and makes the case that policies are based on fundamentally inadequate principles and in urgent need of reform.
Graetz, widely considered one of the world’s most influential scholars of national and international tax law and policy, draws on economics, history, legal theory, and politics to explain the most pressing problems and misconceptions in international taxation, and then suggests clearly articulated and practical solutions.
In the book’s forward, Mihir Desai, the Mizuho Financial Group Professor of Finance at Harvard Business School, likens Graetz’ writing in Follow the Money to “the feat achieved by Mark Twain in his Innocents Abroad, or a New Pilgrim's Progress. Of greatest value, perhaps, is Michael’s foresight in highlighting the most treacherous parts of the terrain we face. Rather than provide strict answers, Michael charts the tradeoffs and practices that are evolving on the most important issues. Graetz’s peripatetic journeys across disciplines and topics provides the best possible antidote to the parochialism we are susceptible to and will surely provide the foundation for whatever comes next.”
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Highlights of other book reviews include:
This book collects Michael Graetz's most profound and influential works in international tax. Graetz's work is the opposite of doctrinaire; he draws on history, politics, economics and legal and political theory first to identify the major problems and misconceptions in the area, and then to provide the tools to make sense of international tax. Anyone who hopes to learn about--much less teach or understand--international tax must read the works of Michael Graetz, and this new volume makes that essential reading accessible.
- Ruth Mason, Hunton & Williams Professor of Law, University of Virginia School of Law
In this superb collection of nine essays — written over almost two decades — Michael Graetz offers his readers a vivid account of the fundamental principles underlying thoughtful analysis of international taxation. This collection is must-reading: for tax policymakers driving the U.S. Government’s response to shifts in the global economy, for academics seeking to evaluate potential responses or designing courses in international taxation, for tax executives, lawyers and accountants trying to guide corporations through the resulting thicket, and for concerned citizens wanting to learn more about this critical topic. Rather than reading every book on international taxation, anyone interested in navigating this important topic should read this collection instead. The reader will indeed be able to “follow the money.”
- Rick D’Avino, Former Vice President and Senior Tax Counsel, General Electric Company and GE Capital
This collection of influential articles by one of the most respected tax lawyers in the nation addresses today's most important and difficult international tax policy issues. Michael Graetz masterfully critiques guiding principles, resulting in insights that have changed how we approach international tax policy and have guided the conversation on reform. These essays are valuable to anyone interested in tax policy in the 21st century and demonstrate clearly why we should “follow the money” and follow Michael Graetz.
- Rosanne Altshuler, Chair, Department of Economics Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
A prolific writer and editor, Graetz has written numerous books on wide range of public policy issues, as well as more than 80 articles on tax, international taxation, health policy, and social insurance issues.
Graetz joined the Columbia Law faculty in 2009 from Yale Law School, where he served as the Justus S. Hotchkiss Professor of Law since 1986. In addition to his teaching career, he has held several positions in the federal government. Graetz was assistant to the secretary and special counsel for the U.S. Department of the Treasury from January to June in 1992, and he was deputy assistant secretary for tax policy at the U.S. Department of the Treasury from January of 1990 to December of 1991.
Follow the Money is available for free download, online, and throughYale’s Lillian Goldman Law Library.