Redemption scams exploit tax code opacity and belief that others beat the system
Evidence
Although redemption theory targets desperate people, it also takes advantage of two facts: the tax code is impossibly, impenetrably hard to understand; and there is always someone, somewhere who has found a way to beat it. — Anna Merlan, Republic of Lies, 645
Categorization
- XREF: An observable kernel of truth — wealthy people genuinely minimize taxes — gives redemption scams their hook, echoing older chapters on how conspiracy claims borrow from real grievances. — connects to: Tax compliance depends on a distinct morale eroded by perceived unfairness — Dieter Plehwe, Quinn Slobodian & Philip Mirowski (eds.), Nine Lives of Neoliberalism, 319; Redemption theory fuses tax avoidance, anti-government conviction, and litigiousness — Anna Merlan, Republic of Lies, 592; IRS debunking paradoxically reinforces redemption theory’s appeal to believers — Anna Merlan, Republic of Lies, 607 (+2 more)
Broader Connections
- IRS debunking paradoxically reinforces redemption theory’s appeal to believers
#expands(0.85) — Anna Merlan, Republic of Lies, 607 - Delinquents justify theft through insurance and merchant-overcharge rationalizations
#complicates(0.75) - Positive incentive systems can be corrupted into subsidies for the very harm they target
#complicates(0.75)