Daylight Robbery cover art

Daylight Robbery

How Tax Shaped Our Past and Will Change Our Future

 Preview
Get this deal Try Premium Plus free
Offer ends December 16, 2025 11:59pm GMT.
Prime members: New to Audible? Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Just £0.99/mo for your first 3 months of Audible.
1 bestseller or new release per month—yours to keep.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, podcasts, and Originals.
Auto-renews at £8.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically.
Buy Now for £12.99
Only £0.99 a month for the first 3 months. Pay £0.99 for the first 3 months, and £8.99/month thereafter. Renews automatically. Terms apply. Start my membership

About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

For most people, tax is something we pay, simply because we must. We seldom think much more about it; in fact, tax is something we'd rather forget.

But the reality is that tax is the key to power. No government can survive without tax revenue - it is the fuel that every state, large and small, runs on. Many of the problems we face today, not least the enormous wealth gaps between rich and poor and between generations, can be traced back to our systems of tax. If you tax windows, many will sacrifice their daylight. If you tax cigarettes, some people will choose not to smoke; others will take up smuggling. Tax companies too much and many will relocate offshore.

In Daylight Robbery, Dominic Frisby offers an alternative vision of a system that is as old as civilisation itself. It will take you on a whirlwind journey through the history of taxation, from ancient Mesopotamia right up to the present day, explaining the key dynamics of taxation around the world and arguing that governments are going to have to radically change who they tax and how if they are to succeed in the future.

©2019 Dominic Frisby (P)2019 Penguin Audio Economics Macroeconomics Taxation Thought-Provoking Capitalism

Listeners also enjoyed...

 Rebellion, Rascals, and Revenue cover art
I never even considered that so much of history was made miserable by tax. I have learned much listening to this book.

Blown away

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
great work as ever his books are a great colection of how to live your life

great work if not 100% in it prospects

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I can't quite believe how much I enjoyed a book based around Tax and its history. I have listened to a lot of books on Audible and this is the best by some way, both in content and narration.

Exceptional

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I really enjoyed this book. It contains a lot of information which is delivered in a way that remains engaging.

Engaging listen on a dull but important topic

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
The author takes you through the lens of history via an intriguing tax history, to present day. The contents of this book should be read/listened to by the young generation. Otherwise, this saying will manifest - "blessed are the young, for they shall inherit the debt of the nation state".

A must read for this generation

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
writer/narrator's knowledge and interest in tax makes this audio book a very interesting and addictive listen.

very interesting

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I really enjoyed this book. It is well read, entertaining and very informative. It gave me a fresh perspective and I guess reiterates the old adage… follow the money.
Well worth the listen and price.

Shines a light on hidden events giving a new perspective

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I very much enjoy the work of Dominic Frisby and this book is a very well researched account on how tax has shaped our lives over the course of history and continues to affect all aspects of our daily activities. Should be essential reading for all modern day politicians however I very much doubt many will want to change the status quo. I’m sure they’d rather we did not known or remained in the dark!

Enlightening Insight in the Global Tax System

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Amazing review of tax and plenty ideas for fixing it. A bit more on vat and how unfair it is would have been good.

Excellent advice and guidance

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Really entertaining narration and well constructed analysis of how we have the tax structure that we have.

Compelling every socialist and youngster should have a listen 🤔😂

Fantastic- hugely entertaining look at tax and all its perniciousness

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews