Atlantic staff writer Annie Lowrey promoted her new book “The Time Tax: How the Government Wastes Our Time—and How to Fix It” at the National Book Festival on Saturday, August 22, at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C., ahead of the book’s August 25 release.
Lowrey participated in a panel discussion titled “Bold Ideas, with Marc J. Dunkelman and Annie Lowrey,” where she and Dunkelman tackled how government functions through different approaches. She also signed copies of the book in a dedicated signing line, making the festival appearance a key moment to introduce her latest work to readers and policy audiences.
The book investigates how American bureaucracy wastes citizens’ time through administrative burdens—what Lowrey terms the “time tax.” According to her research, this refers to the paperwork, aggravation, and mental effort imposed on citizens when they attempt to access their rights and benefits from government programs.
Lowrey’s central argument is that these administrative burdens disproportionately harm low-income Americans. The book traces how bureaucratic red tape and complex paperwork requirements entrench poverty and reduce trust in government. As one reviewer noted, Lowrey “masterfully shows how the time tax helps to trap low-income families in cycles of disadvantage,” amplifying inequality through the sheer friction of accessing aid.
The concept of administrative burden has gained traction among policymakers in recent years. Federal agencies have increasingly focused on identifying and reducing unnecessary burdens that the public faces when interacting with government programs. The Biden administration’s customer experience executive order explicitly mandated that the federal system “reduce administrative hurdles and paperwork burdens to minimize ‘time taxes,'” reflecting growing recognition of the issue Lowrey documents in her book.
This is Lowrey’s second book. Her first, “Give People Money,” published in 2018, was shortlisted for the Financial Times and McKinsey Business Book of the Year Award. She has built a career covering economics and policy, previously reporting on economic policy for the New York Times and contributing to the New York Times Magazine and Slate.
Sources
- Library of Congress — confirmed the National Book Festival event details, panel title, and book signing information
- HarperCollins — provided the book’s official title, subtitle, and August 25, 2026 release date
- The Atlantic — confirmed Annie Lowrey’s role as staff writer and her focus on politics and economic policy
- Washington Monthly — provided analysis of the book’s argument about administrative burden and inequality
- Digital Government Hub — sourced the Biden administration’s customer experience executive order language on reducing “time taxes”
- Penguin Random House — confirmed details about “Give People Money” and its Financial Times Business Book Award shortlist
