So yesterday, a few colleagues and I published a report that lays out a pretty important history between our countries legacy of racism and white supremacy and state tax policy. I wanna dive into it a bit here. (thread) cbpp.org/research/state…
First, tax policy isn’t race neutral. Never has been never will be. Like we’d find it weird to have conversations about tax policy devoid of class considerations we can’t think of it separated from our history of racism either.
I appreciate how @KaseyHenricks and @louise_seamster put it. And history is full of examples of this. journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.117… 
During Reconstruction southern states provided schools & other services for Af-Americans & looked to expand investments in health & infrastructure across the south. It was a moment of promise for a region that had long neglected Black folks & poor whites. harpercollins.com/9780062354518/…
To pay for these things states raised taxes. Increasing property tax rates on landowners to foot the bill. While many whites benefited, many others (particularly landowners) resisted these measures. These so called "Redeemers” ultimately regained power across the South.
In 1890 Redeemers in Mississippi rewrote the state constitution. They did all the stuff youd expect such as banning interracial marriage, requiring that people pay poll taxes & pass literacy tests in order to vote & reapportioned the states legislature to weaken the black vote.
But they also put in place a burdensome requirement that any tax increase must secure the votes of at least three-fifths of the members of both houses of the state legislature... a near insurmountable hurdle for the fragile coalition of blacks, poor whites and carpetbaggers.
The delegate who proposed the super-majority requirement was pretty transparent: "All understood and desired that some scheme would be evolved which would effectually remove from the sphere of politics in the State the ignorant and unpatriotic negro.”
And just as we continue to struggle with issues of voter disenfranchisement & gerrymandering, so to do states struggle with a legacy of tax policy designed to disempower black & brown communities & low income peoples of all races. see for example Oklahoma: cbpp.org/blog/supermajo…
Second, we've done a decent job of uncovering the places where other public policies have been intentionally designed or used against communities of color. Think of the fantastic work of @nhannahjones in housing/segregation or @thenewjimcrow in criminal justice.
But we haven't explored how tax policy has been weaponized throughout history to harm communities of color and prevent progress. @andrewkahrl has done amazing work to uncover a story from Edwards, Mississippi. muse.jhu.edu/article/627004…
After the passage of the 1964 Civil Rights act, the town was required by law to integrate its public swimming pool. Instead of doing so however, the town decided to sell the pool to a private corporation that accepted members via application (predictably, white's only).
In response, black organizers & community members launched a massive boycott of white-owned businesses & black maids in town staged a walkout. They demanded integration of the pool, sure, but also garbage service, paved roads, & a better sewage system for the Black parts of town.
The effort was devastating to white owned businesses and local tax coffers. After months of boycotting - the city gave in to their demands agreeing to pave streets, add sewer lines and to raise the hourly wage of garbage workers (many of which were Black).
While the boycott was a success, it was not without backlash. As punishment, town officials combed through land assessment rolls and targeted leaders of the boycott for drastic increases in their property assessments, which translated into massive increases in property taxes owed
The message was clear. Equality would come at a price and tax policy was the tool of choice for extraction.
Of course, discriminatory assessments were not limited to the South and have persisted through time. There are stories from Chicago. chicagotribune.com/news/watchdog/…
...and Detroit: washingtonpost.com/news/where-we-… -- @ProfAtuahene has done really profound work in this space.
Third (and finally) tax policy is a tool. We try and show how it cannot be thought of as devoid of the broader social and political context and how it can be explicitly utilized as a tool of discrimination. BUT it is just a tool and as such can be mobilized for good as well.
We can actually craft fiscal policy to be a driver for racial and economic justice. Notably @mvmt4bl listed this out in their platform for economic justice. policy.m4bl.org/economic-justi…
We can move towards more progressive tax systems that help low-income families that typically shoulder a disproportionate share of state/local taxes & tax wealth that has been consolidated & held by a small share of uber wealthy (mostly white) elites cbpp.org/research/state…
We can demand corporations pay their share and prevent big businesses from avoiding taxes by shifting profits around from state to state. cbpp.org/research/a-maj…
We can create and expand state level (and the federal) earned income tax credits and ensure that they reach more people. cbpp.org/research/feder…
We can modernize sales tax systems so that they more adequately reflect the 21st century economy, track better with economic growth and don't disproportionately target low-income communities. cbpp.org/research/state…
We can get rid of super-majority requirements and property tax caps that limit tax revenue and strain state and local governments ability to provide services to communities. cbpp.org/research/state…
*aside* there's a fascinating history behind property tax limitations. The work of @theotherisaac among others, is really interesting here. Check out 'The Permanent Tax Revolt'. @Prof_MPastor, has a good piece on CA prop 13 here: dornsife.usc.edu/news/stories/2…
We can actually make sure that these resources are used to build up communities that have been explicitly harmed and targeted throughout our history and invest in them to build quality schools, better infrastructure, provide more healthcare and cleaner environments.
There's a lot we can do. The first step is acknowledging the history, understanding the current problem with a clear understanding of how race and class have played a role and being willing to enact solutions that can address the full issue. Start here: cbpp.org/research/state…
