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Can't Pay, Won't Pay! A Popular History of Taxes

Hosted by the Department of Economic History

Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building

Speaker

Geoff Tily

Geoff Tily

Chair

Dr Natacha Postel-Vinay

Dr Natacha Postel-Vinay

Join us for the screening of Xavier’s Villetard’s documentary Can't Pay, Won't Pay! and following this a question and answer session with Natacha Postel-Vinay and Geoff Tily.

Without taxation there is no government. Taxation is essential, but who is to pay, and for what? For centuries people have fought over these questions, and these fights have been at the heart of the development and crises of democracy, from Magna Carta through the French Revolution to the Global Financial Crisis and the Pandemic. Bringing together internationally renowned academic experts and policymakers, this documentary retraces this fascination history across France, Britain and Germany from as far as the Middle Ages up to the present day.

Meet our speaker and chair

Geoff Tily () joined the TUC as Senior Economist in August 2014. This follows 25 years as a member of the government statistical and then economic services, most recently as a macroeconomic adviser in HM Treasury. 

Natacha Postel-Vinay () is an economic and financial historian, whose research explores international finance, money and banking from a historical perspective.

More about this event

This event forms part of ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳’s Understanding the UK Economy series, showcasing research and expertise on the state of the UK economy and its future.

The Department of Economic History () is one of the world's leading centres for research and teaching in economic history. It is home to a huge breadth and depth of kn