Topic
Politics
Published on
March 12, 2026
Civitas
Conversations
California Eats the Rich

The Cost of Conflict: White House and Human Rights

March 12, 2026
About this episode

The 2026 Billionaire Tax Act is a California ballot initiative that would impose an emergency one-time five percent tax on billionaires to prevent what its supporters describe as the collapse of California's healthcare system. But history has a very clear answer to what "one-time" and "only the wealthy" mean in the long run: ongoing, and not only the wealthy.

On episode 14 of Civitas Conversations, Civitas Outlook contributing editor Veronique de Rugy joins host Richard Reinsch to discuss the slippery slope of taxation.

Civitas Conversations features leading scholars, commentators, and thought leaders for in-depth discussions of the latest essays in Civitas Outlook—and the ideas behind them.

A production of the Civitas Institute at the University of Texas at Austin.

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