Prof. Victor Menaldo is highlighted in three recent articles concerning the recent indictment of former President Donald Trump, and a change to Washington State tax law.
In The Washington Post piece, "Here’s how other democracies have prosecuted political leaders.
The U.S. can learn from Israel, Brazil, South Korea and others that have charged officials, including former presidents":
"Unlike the United States, Brazil’s legal system is rooted in civil law, meaning prosecutors have less discretion and there are no jury trials. Victor Menaldo, professor of comparative politics at the University of Washington, noted that as a developing country, Brazil has 'less of a rule-of-law tradition' and memories of “recent experiences with dictatorship that is as close to us as the 1980s.”
On The Conversation web site, an article (written along with Political Science's Prof. James Long and grad student Morgan Wack) on the divisiveness of prosecuting a former president, "Prosecuting a president is divisive and sometimes destabilizing – here’s why many countries do it anyway":
"While charging a former president with a criminal offense is a first in the United States, in other countries ex-leaders are routinely investigated, prosecuted and even jailed.
With the Trump indictment, the process will reveal something fundamental about American democracy. Whatever the outcome, they will be a matter of both law - and politics."
On the GeekWire site, "FAQ: Understanding who will pay Washington’s new capital gains tax and potential exemptions":
"The legality of a capital gains tax was upheld by the Washington state Supreme Court last week, drawing questions about who is subject to the tax and the broader impact on the region’s business sector.
Individual owners of entities that are pass-through or disregarded entities for federal tax purposes may owe Washington’s capital gains tax on gains from sales or exchanges made by such entities, according to the Department of Revenue.
This part of the law could “distort” decision-making for these types of businesses, said Victor Menaldo, a University of Washington political science professor. He said the businesses are 'very vulnerable to this tax' versus large corporations.
'It may mean that fewer small businesses are born and more small businesses die prematurely,' he said. 'Or, similarly, more businesses leaving town for states without capital gains taxes.'"
Links for all three articles,
The Washington Post
The Conversation
Geekwire