Tax Policy Center

structural racism

State and Local Issues: TaxVox

States Can Help Reduce the Burdens of Harmful Fines and Fees. Here’s How.

Thanks to surging tax revenues and an unprecedented infusion of federal aid, many states cut taxes over the past two years by lowering individual income tax rates, expanding tax credits, or sending one-time checks to residents. But there is another way states can use these funds: reduce or eliminate some local criminal legal fines and fees.
September 27, 2022Aravind BoddupalliKim S. Rueben
Individual Taxes: TaxVox

New GAO Report Underscores Importance of Better Data To Study Race and Taxes

While the federal income tax system may appear “colorblind” or race-neutral to some, it can mitigate or exacerbate racial inequities . Unfortunately, the IRS does...
June 2, 2022Aravind Boddupalli
State and Local Issues: TaxVox

Public Safety or Speed Traps? The Conflicts of Interest Behind Fines and Fees

If you have ever been issued a speeding ticket, you probably grumbled about the government using you as a piggy bank. In our new research...
January 13, 2022Aravind BoddupalliLivia Mucciolo
Federal Budget and Economy: TaxVox

New Data Tools and Methods Can Help Federal Policymakers Create More Equitable Tax Policy

On his first day in office, President Biden signed an executive order acknowledging the toll of structural racism in the United States and initiating a...
March 22, 2021Tracy GordonAravind Boddupalli
State and Local Issues: TaxVox

Fines and Forfeitures and Racial Disparities

Some evidence suggests that fines and fees, much like policing, are also closely intertwined with issues of structural racism.
August 14, 2020Sarah CalameAravind Boddupalli