The Whiteness of Wealth: How the Tax System Impoverishes Black Americans--And How We Can Fix It
- Downloads：1329
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-03-24 19:21:35
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Dorothy A. Brown
- ISBN：0525577335
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
James
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This is a great read on the impacts of tax policy。 Teach your kids about the tax system early。 Hire a tax advisor to gain an understanding of the tax system。 A basic understanding of the the tax system can help in your retirement savings strategy。 I recommend you read this in a series of three books。 I recommend you first read the Color of Money by Mehrsa Baradaran followed by The Sum of Us by Heather McGhee。
Hannah
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An Important book
Eric
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Sorry， but little more than another do-gooder story about how more government involvement in the lives of people is the only cure for whatever ailment is being considered。 And this one has as its central theme more about systemic racism。
Eunice
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A must read to understand the structural and racial inequities in the tax system。 I appreciated the author’s candor—her perspective was not bound by what was politically feasible， but by what is right and what would be fair。
Kelly
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Enjoyment level: 4。5🌟Writing Quality: 4🌟Audiobook Narration: 4。5🌟In this book， Brown outlines how the United States tax system has been set up to promote the continued building of white wealth， how the current structure negatively impacts black peoples attempt at wealth building， and the historical pathways that brought us here。 Each specific rule or regulation she discusses is backed up with examples of how the disparities play out in the real world。 For example while the joint tax return syste Enjoyment level: 4。5🌟Writing Quality: 4🌟Audiobook Narration: 4。5🌟In this book， Brown outlines how the United States tax system has been set up to promote the continued building of white wealth， how the current structure negatively impacts black peoples attempt at wealth building， and the historical pathways that brought us here。 Each specific rule or regulation she discusses is backed up with examples of how the disparities play out in the real world。 For example while the joint tax return system benefits married couples that have a large difference in their individual earnings （i。e。 one person makes $100k while the other only 30k - this is most common among white couples）， it offers zero benefit to married couples that each earn about the same as each other （i。e。 both make $65K - this is most common amongst black couples）。 Brown then goes on to give us the mathematical calculations so that even the reader can see the stark difference。 Much of the socioeconomic issues Brown discusses I had at least a vague knowledge of but I know absolutely nothing about the ways tax law plays a role in the continued systemic racism plaguing the US。 The writing was articulate， no-nonsense and well researched。 I appreciated that Brown offered up what she sees as the best solutions to fixing these issues。 Audio narration was great。 Absolutely think this should be a must read。 。。。more
Laura
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A bit dry at times， and it gets off to a slow start。 However， the book is really well organized and researched。 The author does a good job of showing how the building blocks of wealth generation are interconnected and how they are ultimately stacked against black families。 It also does an excellent job of showing how tax law that was not necessarily designed to discriminate against black Americans （many laws were put in place because a rich white guy was annoyed he had to pay so much in taxes an A bit dry at times， and it gets off to a slow start。 However， the book is really well organized and researched。 The author does a good job of showing how the building blocks of wealth generation are interconnected and how they are ultimately stacked against black families。 It also does an excellent job of showing how tax law that was not necessarily designed to discriminate against black Americans （many laws were put in place because a rich white guy was annoyed he had to pay so much in taxes and got creative about circumventing existing tax laws） nevertheless perpetuates discrimination that is baked into the American system。 It is persuasive in showing how advice to black people to live more like white people is really just a failure to consider that the white perspective does not work for everyone。 。。。more
Denise
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An impeccably researched and eye-opening read that puts data and expert opinion behind things that we may feel are true and apparent， but can't completely explain。 And not only does Dorothy Brown bring her expertise as a tax attorney to the table， but she speaks about the wealth gap as someone who observed the direct effects on her family， which lends the book a great sense of personal depth and dimension。I was so impressed with how Brown supported her arguments by stitching together data to fil An impeccably researched and eye-opening read that puts data and expert opinion behind things that we may feel are true and apparent， but can't completely explain。 And not only does Dorothy Brown bring her expertise as a tax attorney to the table， but she speaks about the wealth gap as someone who observed the direct effects on her family， which lends the book a great sense of personal depth and dimension。I was so impressed with how Brown supported her arguments by stitching together data to fill in the gaps that the IRS leaves when it doesn't collect demographic data that could really shift tax law。 It made her proposed solutions， though complex， feel attainable and actionable， which is the kind of feeling you hope to come away with when you read a book like this。 While the major focus is tax law， Brown also delves into other examples of systemic racism and racist systems that have kept the wealth gap intact， including real estate and higher education。 This dovetailed well with other reading I've done on the subject， including Heather McGee's The Sum of Us， which tackled the individual mindsets that feed into these larger systems。 As always， the problem cannot be pinpointed to a single cause but rather， a framework that goes back to the founding of the country。 Both have an ultimately hopeful tone， regardless of the scope of the work that needs to be done to undo and reestablish an equitable system。Overall， this was illuminating though a bit more granular in the specific codes/laws that make up the systems。 Even if I didn't wholly grasp every single thing mentioned， the larger picture is clear and accessible， and makes this a worthy read/listen for those interested in more context of how things like a wealth gap can persist， and what can be done about it on the individual and societal level。 。。。more
Kara
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Outstanding and maddening
Shawn
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Professor Brown's book is groundbreaking and an excellent treatise on the amplified income inequality with respect to race， class， and gender！ The Republican 2017 tax law compounded this problem exponentially， and Professor Brown's book should be required reading for all lawmakers and voting citizens！ Professor Brown's book is groundbreaking and an excellent treatise on the amplified income inequality with respect to race， class， and gender！ The Republican 2017 tax law compounded this problem exponentially， and Professor Brown's book should be required reading for all lawmakers and voting citizens！ 。。。more
Rae
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A very well researched look into american tax codes。 I had definitely bought into the idea that marriage brought tax breaks and the first chapter， which I thought was the strongest， went deep into how Black americans are often left out of those tax benefits。 I did like that she looked not just at individual tax codes but how non-profit universities， which mostly educate white students， were beneficiaries of huge tax cuts。
Casey
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As a person of color， I read this book with great interest。 The late Professor Derek Bell， in his book Faces at the Bottom of the Well， wrote that racism is a permanent， integral， and indestructible part of American society。 There are several institutions and organizations in this country that are racist。 The tax code is not one of them。In a career that has spanned over 20-years， I have represented dozens of individuals and organizations before the IRS and in the United States Tax Court。 Consequ As a person of color， I read this book with great interest。 The late Professor Derek Bell， in his book Faces at the Bottom of the Well， wrote that racism is a permanent， integral， and indestructible part of American society。 There are several institutions and organizations in this country that are racist。 The tax code is not one of them。In a career that has spanned over 20-years， I have represented dozens of individuals and organizations before the IRS and in the United States Tax Court。 Consequently， I have more than a passing familiarity with the federal tax code。 The fundamental premise of Professor Brown's thesis is flawed。 She admits that the IRS does not have data based on race。 The data in her book is based on conjecture， supposition， and opinion presented as fact。 The issues that she cites as poof of bias under the tax code are behavioral based and have nothing to do with race。Professor Brown asserts that the best evidence that the tax code is unfair to black people is that the median white family has a net worth of eight times the typical black family’s wealth。 According to the Institute for Family Studies， 85% of Asians have two parent families， 74% of whites， 61% of Latinos， and 36% of blacks have two parent families。 Two people working together toward a common financial goal are apt to achieve far greater results than a single person。 Again， a behavioral issue。Professor Brown argues that black people are far more likely to have jobs that fail to provide 401（k）s and other corporate benefits。 Blacks are not the only ones with those jobs。 Again， that has nothing to do with the tax code。 Professor Brown cited the startling static that 60% of black Americans who start college never finish it。 In addition， according to a 2019 Southern Regional Education Board study， only 59% of black males graduate from high school。 If you fail to graduate from high school or start college and never finish， what type of job do you expect？ The fact is that anyone with a job can save for retirement with an IRA。 Again， failing to graduate from high school and failing to complete college are behaviors that have nothing to do with the tax code。I could go on but all of the arguments in the book are based on conjecture and contrived metrics。 Professor Brown has crafted sympathetic arguments based on behavior attempting to impute racism to the tax code。 The connection is tenuous at best， and illusory in fact。In a culture that has now embraced the repudiation of self-responsibility， Professor Brown’s ideas are finding an audience。 The prevarication of facts and the perversion of statistics to perpetuate victimhood by blacks is once again looking for someone other than ourselves to blame for our collective condition。 。。。more
Roxane
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A rigorously researched book about the tax system and the racial inequities that have been built into the system。 I learned a lot and it was very eye opening to see the ways that the various systems we live by are designed to hold certain groups back。 It's like， you know this stuff is happening but to see it spelled out， to see how some people never have a chance to build wealth， is maddening。 Highly recommend this book。 A rigorously researched book about the tax system and the racial inequities that have been built into the system。 I learned a lot and it was very eye opening to see the ways that the various systems we live by are designed to hold certain groups back。 It's like， you know this stuff is happening but to see it spelled out， to see how some people never have a chance to build wealth， is maddening。 Highly recommend this book。 。。。more
Pam
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A tax attorney looks at all the ways Black people are denied the opportunities to accumulate wealth。 There are laws and policies that have hurt folks in the past， and their consequences are felt for generations。 But even more insidious are the racist issues， e。g。， transfer of funds has different implications and tax consequences if you’re caring for a parent or for a child。 A good argument for reparations。
Trista
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Great mix of anecdote and fact to paint a picture of how systemic racism has harmed the Black community & helped whites， with a deep dive into the tax system to see how it affects each community differently。 A book about the American tax system doesn’t sound like a page-turner， and some of the statistics and percentages mire it down， but the overall arguments are really compelling。 Tax codes effect each community differently with respect to housing， education， marriage & employment choices， amon Great mix of anecdote and fact to paint a picture of how systemic racism has harmed the Black community & helped whites， with a deep dive into the tax system to see how it affects each community differently。 A book about the American tax system doesn’t sound like a page-turner， and some of the statistics and percentages mire it down， but the overall arguments are really compelling。 Tax codes effect each community differently with respect to housing， education， marriage & employment choices， among others。 。。。more
Tatiana McInnis
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Easily the best book I've read that merged personal story telling， exquisite research， examinations of history， and rendering the tax system legible and accessible。The U。S。 owes me and every single Black person reparations， and that's just a start。 Easily the best book I've read that merged personal story telling， exquisite research， examinations of history， and rendering the tax system legible and accessible。The U。S。 owes me and every single Black person reparations， and that's just a start。 。。。more
Jenny
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This is a must read。 I am sure there was a lot that went over my head because my knowledge of our financial and tax systems is not very strong， but Brown wrote this in way that is accessible to all。 Understanding how our tax system was created， carefully and deliberately created， to benefit some and not others is critical to understand。 There is much that needs to change and I hope Brown's book will help make that happen。 This is a must read。 I am sure there was a lot that went over my head because my knowledge of our financial and tax systems is not very strong， but Brown wrote this in way that is accessible to all。 Understanding how our tax system was created， carefully and deliberately created， to benefit some and not others is critical to understand。 There is much that needs to change and I hope Brown's book will help make that happen。 。。。more
Amy Finley
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How tax policy can contribute to or help dismantle systemic racism。 Interesting stuff！
Pat
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Hard to rate this one。 On the one hand， I really appreciate getting new insight into another factor leading to this widening chasm of inequalities between white and Black Americans。 On the other hand， my lack of intimate knowledge about the tax system makes me unwilling to fully believe everything Brown states in her book without fully understanding the subject matter further。 But that is less a testament about the book than it is on my own way of thinking and understanding。Brown lays out her ca Hard to rate this one。 On the one hand， I really appreciate getting new insight into another factor leading to this widening chasm of inequalities between white and Black Americans。 On the other hand， my lack of intimate knowledge about the tax system makes me unwilling to fully believe everything Brown states in her book without fully understanding the subject matter further。 But that is less a testament about the book than it is on my own way of thinking and understanding。Brown lays out her case methodically， clearly， and overall convincingly。 I finish this book fully understanding how pervasive racism is in the tax system - which should theoretically be colorblind but is truly not。 She describes everything in accessible terms。 The evidence she presents is truly alarming， and it is hard to not leave the book without the feeling angry at how unjust and how convoluted it has been for so long！ I was impressed and appreciated her criticism of tax policies suggested by both Republicans and Democrats， and the solutions she presents at the end were highly reasonable as it goes。 A very good read and highly recommend it as part of the books to read to understand the persistent inequalities in society that continue to keep down the disadavantaged。 。。。more
Happy Skywalker
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I don't know what kind of cover you can put on a book to make everyone in a country read it， but this book needs that cover。 As a white person married to a black person this addresses so many things that I think about。 I like that instead of just coming up with a bunch of anger and questions like I do， the author comes up with a plan。 Great book。 I don't know what kind of cover you can put on a book to make everyone in a country read it， but this book needs that cover。 As a white person married to a black person this addresses so many things that I think about。 I like that instead of just coming up with a bunch of anger and questions like I do， the author comes up with a plan。 Great book。 。。。more
Frances Krumholtz
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Appreciated how the author contextualized this book by saying she'd gone into tax law because she wanted to "get away from race。" This sets the stage for a deep dive into many of the structural disadvantages that Black folks face in America， and the falsehoods that each side of the aisle tend to rely on to justify their positions。 I'm not a policy wonk and I don't understand tax law at all， but Brown writes in a way that is approachable and understandable。 Appreciated how the author contextualized this book by saying she'd gone into tax law because she wanted to "get away from race。" This sets the stage for a deep dive into many of the structural disadvantages that Black folks face in America， and the falsehoods that each side of the aisle tend to rely on to justify their positions。 I'm not a policy wonk and I don't understand tax law at all， but Brown writes in a way that is approachable and understandable。 。。。more
Naomi
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I have to admit that I don't think about my taxes very much， and had never previously considered how my whiteness impacts them。 Although I feel a little better in that the author as a tax professor took decades to consider it as well。 And that's why this book is so interesting and important。 The tax system is different than， say， housing （read The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America in that the racism that she points out throughout this book is not necessar I have to admit that I don't think about my taxes very much， and had never previously considered how my whiteness impacts them。 Although I feel a little better in that the author as a tax professor took decades to consider it as well。 And that's why this book is so interesting and important。 The tax system is different than， say， housing （read The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America in that the racism that she points out throughout this book is not necessarily the result of individual or societal racist actions， but rather the side effect of a system that only considers and only imagines a quintessential white family in its decision making （why isn't blanconormativity a thing the same way that heteronormativity is？）。 The main point is that the tax system contributes to and reinforces the existing inequalities in income and wealth that develop out of a history and culture of white supremacy in everything from marriage to jobs to housing。 While there is no data by race on taxes （which is one of her main suggestions）， she builds a very compelling picture through a combination of anecdotes and statistics。 And at least in my experience of having benefited from a lot of the tax loopholes and advantages that she highlights as being common for white families， and having married a black man whose expectations， needs， and practices are different。 Anyway， this book is half an overview of why the wealth gap is so extreme between black and white families in the US and then half a look at the role of the tax code in reinforcing that and suggestions for changes。 I seesawed between pessimism and optimism in reading it and I think it's very valuable reading （and very readable even if you don't know much tax law）。 。。。more
Michelle
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Great book about how seemingly "color blind" systems like tax code can and do impact black people。 Discussion on tax law and structure can be hard to understand if no prior exposure but a she does her best to lay it out in understandable ways。 Great book about how seemingly "color blind" systems like tax code can and do impact black people。 Discussion on tax law and structure can be hard to understand if no prior exposure but a she does her best to lay it out in understandable ways。 。。。more
Carolyn P
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A HomerunThis book is a great source of information on how black Americans can manage to build wealth in spite of the tax system working against us。
Jeremy
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Read and understand。 Our tax and legal system is broken and that brokenness leads to great disparities among races。 This book would have received 5 stars for the articulation of the data alone， but there were way too many straw-man arguments and “what ifs” that got in the way。
Kate Miller2372
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One of the most compelling books I’ve read to date
Dave Fransen
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Really interesting but definitely wonky when it gets into tax code policy。
Adam
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Lives up to the parise by Fortune。com。 A must read especially for our highly charged current socieconmic environment。 A must read for anyone who's interested in income inequality in America。 What my 👂 heard ⤵️I'm not shrinking violet when it comes to fighting racismthe puzzle knawed at at me throughout my career95% of visitors to national parks are white Americansless than 2% are farmerswe know nothing about taxpayers by race the IRS doesn't publish by racebeing black is far more likely to hurt Lives up to the parise by Fortune。com。 A must read especially for our highly charged current socieconmic environment。 A must read for anyone who's interested in income inequality in America。 What my 👂 heard ⤵️I'm not shrinking violet when it comes to fighting racismthe puzzle knawed at at me throughout my career95% of visitors to national parks are white Americansless than 2% are farmerswe know nothing about taxpayers by race the IRS doesn't publish by racebeing black is far more likely to hurt than being white is likely to help property cannot own propertywhy is this Gap so persistent？just under 16% of whites have zero or negative wealth meaning they owe more than they own but compare that with 37% of blacks and 33% of latin x familieswhite families are equally likely to have zero wealth as they are to be millionaires black families on the other hand are 20 times more likely to have zero or negative wealth than to be millionaires and let next families are 14 times more likely。 despite this data survey results show that most Americans whites and blacks overestimate economic racial equality with the worst offenders being higher income whites。 in other words most Americans think the black white wealth Gap is small。 today the black white wealth Gap only continues to grow。 between 1983 and 2016 median white family income increased by 1，000 annually compared with only a $66 increase for median Latin x wealth。 sadly black median family saw their wealth decrease by $83 annually。 even college-educated black households saw their wealth decrease compared to whites。 sum up this attitude or sum up your attitudethink a college education is an equalizer？ research shows that black households headed by a college graduate have less wealth $23， 400 then white households headed by a college dropout 34700。 a white a white high school dropout has more than 20 times the wealth of a black high school dropout。 white families with an employed head of household have 10 times the wealth of black families who do。 it's a true wealth building opportunityblack families support extended families in ways foreign to their white peersblacks are disproportionately affected by poor health outcomesI'll add some more perspectiveExaclty。。。 and I'll further my point and your retort w thisspoiled rotten by my mother's home cooking and laundry service 。。。more
Austin Chlapecka
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Insightful， but repetitive。 Maybe if my interest was more in tax code the nuances would have been more important to me， but I just skipped to the end。 A worthwhile read， but probably better if it was even shorter than it already is。
Meg
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This book totally deserves 5 stars。 The author does such a great job of breaking things down and explaining things clearly， and makes a very persuasive case for tax law changes。 It's just that tax law makes my eyes glaze over。 Maybe should have tried taking notes？ Anyway， definitely recommend if you want to learn and think more about our tax system's racism。 There was a lot I didn't know and a lot of great stories and examples。 This book totally deserves 5 stars。 The author does such a great job of breaking things down and explaining things clearly， and makes a very persuasive case for tax law changes。 It's just that tax law makes my eyes glaze over。 Maybe should have tried taking notes？ Anyway， definitely recommend if you want to learn and think more about our tax system's racism。 There was a lot I didn't know and a lot of great stories and examples。 。。。more
Melissa
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