Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy

Social Security

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Policymakers Could Consider Using Tax and Transfer Policy to Reduce the Racial Retirement Wealth Gap

February 3, 2025 • By Brakeyshia Samms, Carl Davis

As we show in our recent study, this is, in part, due to longstanding discrimination shaping racial differences in economic wellbeing in the U.S. Moreover, aspects of federal and state tax policies have helped create the vast racial retirement wealth gap in place today. For this reason, we evaluate how tax and transfer policy reforms could help shrink racial retirement wealth inequality. To inform lawmakers as they approach the 2025 debates, below we offer several guiding principles.

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Testimony: Tax Policy to Strengthen Social Security

July 12, 2023 • By Amy Hanauer

We can make modest reforms to better tax those who are taking a larger share of our wealth and income in order to reinforce a major pillar of our promise to Americans.

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‘Fair Share Act’ Would Strengthen Medicare and Social Security Taxes

July 11, 2023 • By Joe Hughes, Steve Wamhoff

The Medicare and Social Security Fair Share Act would reform the taxes that Americans pay to finance these two important programs so that the richest 2 percent of Americans pay these taxes on most of their income the way that middle-class taxpayers already do.