Racism is so deep in American history that it even exists within our taxes. The tax structures we know well today were crafted by white men representing white voters, and was always designed to maintain the status quo not only in its application, but also in implementation. 1/
For example: In 1932 Mississippi adopted the nation’s first modern retail sales tax, a tax that generally falls hardest on those with the least income (because sales taxes consume a larger share of their income). 2/
The state’s governor urged adopting the new tax in part by emphasizing that the revenue would be used to reduce property taxes, & that as a result it would shift the state tax base away from property owners & more heavily onto consumers. Ie, away from property owning white ppl 3/
Other states across the country adopted sales taxes not long after Mississippi demonstrated the tax’s feasibility and its significant revenue-raising power. White property owners paid less in taxes while Black households saw an increase 4/
In the post-Reconstruction era, wealthy white landowners in Mississippi demanded and won a constitutional requirement for a three-fifths vote in both houses of the legislature for all state tax increases, the oldest such requirement still on the books in any state. 5/
This makes it VERY difficult to invest in schools and other public services that working class people need, which was the point. The harder it is to change tax policy, the better it is for those in power. FL recently adopted a supermajority requirement for tax changes, too. 6/
In the 1850s, California imposed a special tax on immigrant miners. (U.S.-born whites were not subject to the tax.) The tax was a major revenue source for California at the time; it raised over a quarter of the state’s revenue in 1856. 7/
In the rural South during the Jim Crow era, property appraisers would often over-assess property owned by African Americans & under-assessed property owned by white residents. 8/
This revenue would pay for public institutions & services that African Americans were denied access to (or were provided on a separate and unequal basis). 9/
If you're interested in learning more about this, definitely check out the @CenterOnBudget's resources below. It's important that lawmakers dive deeper into tax policy so we can see the economic inequities from all angles and correct racist policies. 10/ cbpp.org/research/state…
Typing this also reminded me of Louisiana’s tax subsidies for the oil & gas industry, which not only benefit mostly wealthy white people but also hurts our environment and maintains an archaic reliance on fossil fuels. pbs.org/newshour/show/…
The good thing about these tax subsidies in Louisiana is that many white folks have been speaking out against it, including Republicans. Crony capitalism sees no partisanship in who supports it or opposes it (but I digress!)
