Book Review
The Whiteness of Wealth: How The Tax System Impoverishes Black Americans–And How We Can Fix It
Crown, 2021
288 pages. $27.00 hardcover.
“Important reading for those who want to understand how inequality is built into the bedrock of American society, and what a more equitable future might look like.”—Ibram X. Kendi, author of How to Be an Antiracist.
This is an excellent analysis of racism in the American taxation system conducted by a law professor and expert on tax policy. Brown examines decades of cross-disciplinary research in showing that tax law rewards the preferences and practices of whites while not helping and sometimes penalizing Blacks. From attending college to getting married to buying a home, Blacks are at a financial disadvantage compared to their white peers. The results are an ever-increasing wealth gap. The author also shows that to address the problem, America’s tax code will have to be revised significantly with different choices.
