Focusing policy analysis on Black women illustrates how Black women have long shouldered the shortcomings of the economy and clearly points to solutions that work for all. Black women are at their best when they are financially secure, healthy, and free – and our economy is at its best when all people can thrive and benefit.
Brakeyshia Samms
Brakeyshia joined ITEP in August 2021 as a state policy analyst. Previously, she was a senior associate with Pew’s Fiscal Federalism Initiative. At Pew, she researched tax policies and public programs at the intersection of the federal-state fiscal relationship. Before Pew, she was a state policy fellow with Every Texan in Austin, Texas, through the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities’ postgraduate fellowship program. She holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and history from the University of Texas at Tyler and a master’s degree in public policy from George Mason University. She is a proud native of Carrollton, Texas.
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blog November 20, 2024 State Tax Policy Should Adopt the Principles of ‘Black Women Best’
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blog October 30, 2024 How Tax Decisions in 2025 Can Advance Racial Justice
In the coming 14 months, federal lawmakers should address longstanding issues of racism in the tax code. With a presidential election this fall and many provisions of 2017’s Trump tax law expiring at the end of 2025, the debate over tax policy and economic fairness is in full swing.
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ITEP Work in Action October 28, 2024 ITEP’s Brakeyshia Samms on Race and the 2017 Trump Tax Law
On October 25, 2024, ITEP Policy Analyst Brakeyshia Samms discussed race and the 2017 Trump tax law on the webinar “The 2025 Sunsetting of Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA):… -
ITEP Work in Action September 12, 2024 ITEP’s Brakeyshia Samms: How Property Tax Circuit Breakers Could Help Chicago
ITEP Policy Analyst Brakeyshia Samms discussed property tax circuit breakers at a meeting the city of Chicago’s Committee on Housing and Real Estate on September 11, 2024. You can check… -
blog June 24, 2024 Property Tax Circuit Breakers Can Help States Create More Equitable Tax Codes
Well-designed property tax circuit breaker programs allow states to reduce the impact that property taxes have on the upside-down tilt of their tax codes.
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blog June 17, 2024 Tax Policy is a Part of the Black American Story
Juneteenth is a reminder of the hard-fought victories that helped Black Americans secure their delayed freedom, justice, and suffrage. And in the chapters about tax policy, the tales are no… -
blog April 24, 2024 Tax History Matters: A Q&A with Professor Andrew Kahrl, Author of ‘The Black Tax’
In his new book, The Black Tax: 150 Years of Theft, Exploitation, and Dispossession in America, Professor Andrew Kahrl walks readers through the history of the property tax system and its structural defects that have led to widespread discrimination against Black Americans.
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blog March 26, 2024 Our Taxes Can Set Kids Up for Success
Every child deserves the opportunity to succeed in society – and tax policy has a huge role to play in making that happen. Better tax policy can help prepare our young children with skills to become successful and thriving adults.
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report February 6, 2024 Tax Policy to Reduce Racial Retirement Wealth Inequality
Historic and ongoing discrimination have created stark racial disparities in the US, and the racial retirement wealth gap is one such example.
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blog November 21, 2023 Hidden in Plain Sight: Race and Tax Policy in 2023 State Legislative Sessions
Race was front and center in a lot of state policy debates this year, from battles over what’s being taught in schools to disagreements over new voting laws. Less visible, but also extremely important, were the racial implications of tax policy changes. What states accomplished this year – both good and bad – will acutely affect people and families of color.
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blog October 31, 2023 Power to the People: How Workers Can Fight Tax Inequity
Workers of all races and ethnicities are confronting a tax code that puts them at a disadvantage relative to those with immense wealth, and people of color and women are among those most likely to be negatively impacted by this injustice.
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blog October 30, 2023 Free Tax Filing Option from the IRS Would Benefit People of Color, Contrary to Corporate Warnings
There’s a patchwork of programs and preparers for people of color to turn to when filing taxes, and most come from corporations that profit from providing a service that the government could provide more effectively and efficiently for free. The Direct File program can change that and is a great step forward in the IRS’ work addressing racism in the tax code.
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blog October 17, 2023 The Moore Case Before the U.S. Supreme Court Could Widen the Racial Wealth Gap
Moore v. United States, already a cause for concern for tax lawyers, could create more barriers for racial equity advocates working to reverse the economic plight of many households of color.
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blog May 11, 2023 States are Talking About the Wrong Kind of Property Tax Cuts
Concerns over property tax affordability have been at the forefront this year as housing prices have climbed and property tax bills have often increased along with them. As lawmakers mull a range of property tax cuts, circuit breakers are the best possible approach—and these policies are receiving far too little attention in the states.
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report May 11, 2023 Preventing an Overload: How Property Tax Circuit Breakers Promote Housing Affordability
Circuit breaker credits are the most effective tool available to promote property tax affordability. These policies prevent a property tax “overload” by crediting back property taxes that go beyond a certain share of income. Circuit breakers intervene to ensure that property taxes do not swallow up an unreasonable portion of qualifying households’ budgets.
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blog April 27, 2023 Kansas Avoids Flat Tax Proposal: Narrow Victory a Cautionary Tale for Other States
Kansas lawmakers failed to override Gov. Laura Kelly’s veto of a damaging flat tax package. In doing so, the state narrowly avoided traveling again down the same disastrous yet well-worn path of deep income tax cuts. States across the country can learn from Kansas’s experience by rethinking tax policy decisions and broader statewide priorities.
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blog March 27, 2023 Race-Conscious Tax Policy Discourse is Shifting the Conversation About the Tax Code
As we look ahead to what comes next in our journey to a more race-conscious tax policy debate, it’s worth reflecting on how we got here and what we’ve learned along the way.
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brief September 20, 2022 How the Inflation Reduction Act’s Tax Reforms Can Help Close the Racial Wealth Gap
Lawmakers have many opportunities to pass reforms that will make our tax code fairer and further reduce racial inequity in our economy. The Inflation Reduction Act is a great step forward; better taxing wealth and income from wealth and expanding targeted refundable tax credits would build on this progress.
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blog March 31, 2022 Racial Discrimination in Home Appraisals Is a Problem That’s Now Getting Federal Attention
With both assessments and appraisals being unfair, homeowners of color are stuck between a rock and a hard place when it comes to determining the worth of what is, for most homeowners, their most valuable asset.
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blog March 24, 2022 Women’s History Month is a Reminder that Sensible Tax Policy is Central to Women’s Economic Security
Women’s History Month is a chance to remember what happens for women when tax policy becomes more progressive, boosts income, and helps make raising a family more affordable.
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blog March 3, 2022 Reality Check: Drastic Income Tax Cuts Are Dangerous Despite What Anti-Tax Supporters Say
Income taxes are the backbone of most state budgets, but you wouldn’t gather this fact based on the current trend to cut or eliminate them. A recent, cheerful Wall Street Journal op-ed from anti-government advocate Grover Norquist offers a clear sign that tax-cutting states are taking the wrong approach. The long-time proponent of anti-tax pledges wrote favorably about the legislative and gubernatorial plans to cut income tax cuts across the country. As usual, he failed to address that income taxes support state investments in education, infrastructure, health care and other important public services.
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blog January 31, 2022 Build Back Better’s Tax Provisions Would Help Advance Racial Equity
Build Back Better can help ensure that all people are provided with the chance to lead healthy lives, have access to quality education, are treated fairly and justly, and thrive in today’s economy.
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blog January 11, 2022 School’s In: Tackling College Affordability Through State Tax Codes
Given that a sweeping federal solution to the college affordability crisis does not appear to be on the immediate horizon, it is even more important that states take whatever steps they can to expand college access and affordability. While most of that effort will need to occur on the spending side of the ledger—such as through lowering tuition costs, expanding financial aid, or perhaps even funding free college outright—tax policy also has a role to play.
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blog October 18, 2021 Federal Tax Reform Would be a Step in the Right Direction for Millennials of Color
Currently, millennials of color are worse off than their parents when it comes to wealth expectations. So, if one of the goals of federal policymakers is to reduce racial income and wealth disparities, the proposals outlined are a good start. Tax reforms included in the budget package making its way through Congress would help by boosting incomes and making raising children more affordable—two things that would help millennials of color thrive in today’s economy.