Abstract

This important book convincingly demonstrates that the property tax revolt that culminated in California's Proposition 13 in 1978 originated to a large extent in a surprising, and heretofore unanalyzed phenomenon: the modernization of the collection of the property tax. The import of Proposition 13 is hard to overstate; by all accounts it marked the start of a tax revolt that swept through all levels of American politics. The effects of this revolt are still with us today and a huge amount of scholarship has been generated seeking to explain the nature of this revolt. Isaac Martin's book has the great merit of making an original contribution to a debate many thought was exhausted, offering a new explanation for Proposition 13, one that directly contradicts conventional wisdom, especially in the legal academy.

Recommended Citation

Shanske, Darien (2009) "What the Original Property Tax Revolutionaries Wanted (It Is Not What You Think): Review of The Permanent Tax Revolt: How the Property Tax Transformed American Politics," California Journal of Politics and Policy: Vol. 1 : Iss. 1, Article 18.
DOI: 10.2202/1944-4370.1022
Available at: http://www.bepress.com/cjpp/vol1/iss1/18