Washington Center for Equitable Growth: Weekend reading: Inequities in U.S. taxation and homeownership edition

Homeowners of color who sell their homes receive lower prices due to such factors as reduced neighborhood school quality, but they pay the same property taxes because these factors are not incorporated into tax assessments. Black and Hispanic homeowners also face discrimination in assessment appeals. The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy explains the regressivity of state sales and excise taxes. Low-income households, which are disproportionately households of color, must spend a larger share of earnings to make ends meet, thus subjecting that larger share of income to consumption taxes. Read more