April 15, 2025

Since its inception, the U.S. tax system has been weaponized to extract wealth from Black communities, perpetuating systemic racism and economic inequality. This "Quiet Violence" inflicts a daily, compounding theft of wealth, health and peace on Black Americans and adversely impacts other communities of color and low-income Americans. This groundbreaking report reveals:

• The more than $300 billion in overtaxation of Black Americans since Reconstruction
  
• How property taxes became, and continue to be, a tool for racial oppression and wealth extraction
  
• The persistence of harmful narratives framing Black people as "undeserving takers"
  
• How criminal fines and fees enact an additional tax upon Black communities and other low-income communities of color.
  

The report traces the historical roots of discriminatory tax policies back to slavery and examines how harmful narratives framing Black people as takers vs. payers persists in tax policy discussions and continues to impede the economic security of anyone who is not wealthy. It explores how regressive and extractive tax practices have targeted Black communities, obstructing wealth accumulation and economic equality for anyone who is not white and wealthy. To address such inequity, it’s time for a reimagining of the tax system and rejection of the notion that the current tax system cannot be fixed. Instead, a collective effort to disrupt power imbalances embedded throughout the tax code and related economic structures will finally bring equity to a system that has lacked it historically. This report is crucial for policymakers, activists, and citizens interested in mobilizing a multi-racial effort to create a more equitable society.

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