Will There be a Tax Revolt?
In a recent column, I compared Elon Musk to George III of Great Britain—noting that Americans get pretty pissed off when an unelected rich foreigner starts messing with their taxes. The protest sign above shows that I’m not the only one making that connection.
Could we be on the brink of a tax revolt? And what would it achieve?
These questions aren’t the kooky musings of a Revolutionary War reenactor. There was, in fact, a major tax revolt in the not-so-distant past—and it succeeded in bringing down a government.
In 1987, Margaret Thatcher led the UK’s Conservative Party to a massive landslide, becoming the first prime minister since 1820 to win three straight general elections. Her campaign slogan had a triumphalist, Trumpian ring to it: “It’s Great to be Great Again.”
She appeared unstoppable—but, throbbing with hubris, she was about to commit an act of fatal overreach.
Thatcher implemented the “Community Charge,” a poll tax that levied the same amount on every UK citizen regardless of wealth. Taxpayers across the country saw the tax for what it was—Thatcher’s latest attack on those at the bottom of the economic ladder.
The ensuing revolt reached critical mass on March 31, 1990, when 200,000 anti-tax protesters filled London’s Trafalgar Square.
Ultimately, 18 million Britons refused to pay Thatcher’s tax, and local authorities couldn’t enforce its collection. South Yorkshire authorities, for example, called the arrest of tax resisters “physically impossible for the police because of the large number of defaulters.”
On November 22, 1990, Thatcher resigned, her voice breaking as she left 10 Downing Street. Her political career was over.
Could Elon Musk’s criminal mishandling of American taxpayers’ money result in a similar downfall for MAGA?
As the Trump regime shreds the social safety net while enacting trillions of dollars in tax cuts for the wealthiest, anger has already boiled over at town halls (and Tesla dealerships) across the country.
Republicans may be about to learn an unpleasant lesson: you can ban the teaching of history, but that won’t keep it from repeating.
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In 2010, the Tea Party protested their taxes being spent by a guy they claimed was born in Africa. In 2025, their taxes are being spent by a guy who was definitely born in Africa. Come on, Tea Party, take it to the streets!!!
So far, I’ve only come up with being anti-Bezos….I had cancelled WaPo last fall when he blocked the endorsement, and now: I’ve been a FREQENT Amazon customer, and I’m on day 12: nothing Amazon, finding the vendors directly. His new tv commercials stressing that 60% of Amazon items come from off-site vendors make it appear that I’m not the only one….