Intelligence Squared U.S. Debates “The Rich are Taxed Enough” at Kaufman Center, October 24th

On October 24th, Intelligence Squared U.S. (IQ2US) will continue its fall season with a debate on taxation of the wealthy. It is all bad news when it comes to the economy; the question is, how do we fix it? The U.S. government's budget deficit is nearing a trillion dollars for the fourth straight year and unemployment remains high. With the Bush-era tax cuts that are set to expire at the end of 2012, what is the best move for continued economic recovery? President Obama says we should raise taxes on those making more than $250,000, and invest some of those additional tax dollars in social services. Others say that the richest 1% already pay more than a quarter of all federal taxes and higher taxes for job creators would slow economic growth. Are the nation's wealthiest not paying their "fair share," or should tax breaks be extended for everyone in the name of job creation?

Glenn Hubbard, Dean and Russell L. Carson Professor of Finance and Economics at Columbia Business School and Arthur Laffer, Founder and Chairman of Laffer Associates and Laffer Investments will argue in support of the motion. Robert Reich, Chancellor’s Professor of Public Policy at the University of California at Berkeley and Mark Zandi, Chief Economist of Moody's Analytics will argue against the motion. 

This debate is presented in partnership with the Richard Paul Richman Center for Business, Law, and Public Policy, a joint venture of Columbia Business School and Columbia Law School. The Richman Center fosters dialogue and debate on emerging policy questions where business and markets intersect with the law. 

Intelligence Squared U.S.'s fall season debates are streamed live on WSJ Live. Debates also air on more than 220 NPR stations nationwide and are televised nationally on the WORLD channel and in the New York area on PBS Channel Thirteen, WNET, WLIW, and NJTV.

WHAT: Intelligence Squared U.S. Debates “The Rich are Taxed Enough”
WHEN: Wednesday, October 24, 2012 / Reception 5:45-6:30 / Debate 6:45-8:30 PM
WHERE: Kaufman Center/129 W. 67th Street (bet. Broadway and Amsterdam)/New York, NY 10023
TICKETS: $40 ($12 for students w/ID) To purchase, visit http://www.iq2us.org

The debate will take place in front of a live audience at the Kaufman Center in New York City. Audience members will vote to decide the winning team in this provocative debate.

ABOUT INTELLIGENCE SQUARED DEBATES (IQ2US)

Named One of "Five Podcasts that Will Change the Way You Think" by Forbes, Intelligence Squared U.S. was founded in New York City in 2006 by Robert Rosenkranz, and has grown into an internationally syndicated series heard and watched by millions. The debates have attracted some of the world's top thinkers including Paul Krugman, Karl Rove, Malcolm Gladwell, Alan Dershowitz, Peter Thiel and Arianna Huffington. 

Based on the highly successful Oxford-style debate program originated in London, Intelligence Squared U.S. has presented over 60 debates on a wide range of provocative topics including global warming, the financial crisis, the marketing of organic foods, and the death of mainstream media. The Rosenkranz Foundation initiated the Intelligence Squared U.S. Debate Series and continues to provide major support. ABC News correspondent John Donvan is the moderator, and the executive producer is Dana Wolfe.
 
For more information about IQ2US, please contact Andrea Bussell (abussell@shorefire.com), Rebecca Shapiro (rshapiro@shorefire.com) or Mark Satlof (msatlof@shorefire.com) at Shore Fire Media, 718.522.7171