The Whiteness of Wealth: How the Tax System Impoverishes Black Americans—and How We Can Fix It

Emory University law professor Brown debuts with an illuminating exploration of how U.S. tax policies exacerbate the Black-white wealth gap. She begins with tax benefits afforded to married couples, explaining that single-earner households, which are statistically more likely to be white, pay less taxes than households in which both spouses work, which is more common in Black families. She also shows that Black homeowners accrue less wealth overall due to the lower cost of homes in majority-Black neighborhoods, examines how income inequality and different tax policies for for-profit and nonprofit schools make it difficult for Black Americans to pursue a college education, and suggests that Black employees who have access to a retirement account contribute less than their white colleagues because they are supporting other family members disadvantaged by systemic inequality. Brown’s suggested reforms include reducing the number of deductions and exclusions in the tax code, and implementing a progressive tax rate for wealthy individuals and lower rates for those earning less than a living wage. Brown enriches her detailed data analysis with personal anecdotes and brisk history lessons. Policymakers will benefit from this expert look at a rarely discussed, yet seemingly fixable, piece of the racial inequality puzzle. (Mar.)