Current:Home > reviewsThe hidden history of race and the tax code -Thrive Success Strategies
The hidden history of race and the tax code
View
Date:2025-04-12 11:44:29
This past January, researchers uncovered that Black taxpayers are three to five times as likely to be audited as everyone else. One likely reason for this is that the IRS disproportionately audits lower-income earners who claim a tax benefit called the earned income tax credit. And this, says law professor Dorothy Brown, is just one example of the many ways that race is woven through our tax system, its history, and its enforcement.
Dorothy discovered the hidden relationship between race and the tax system sort of by accident, when she was helping her parents with their tax return. The amount they paid seemed too high. Eventually, her curiosity about that observation spawned a whole area of study.
This episode is a collaboration with NPR's Code Switch podcast. Host Gene Demby spoke to Dorothy Brown about how race and taxes play out in marriage, housing, and student debt.
This episode was produced by James Sneed, with help from Olivia Chilkoti. It was edited by Dalia Mortada and Courtney Stein, and engineered by James Willets & Brian Jarboe.
Help support Planet Money and get bonus episodes by subscribing to Planet Money+ in Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/planetmoney.
Always free at these links: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, NPR One or anywhere you get podcasts.
Find more Planet Money: Twitter / Facebook / Instagram / TikTok / Our weekly Newsletter.
Music: "Cooling Down," "Lost in Yesterday," "Slowmotio," "Cool Down," "Cool Blue," and "Tinted."
veryGood! (9638)
Related
- Former longtime South Carolina congressman John Spratt dies at 82
- Georgia appeals court temporarily halts Trump's 2020 election case in Fulton County
- California made it easier to vote, but some with disabilities still face barriers
- 2 more charged in betting scandal that spurred NBA to bar Raptors’ Jontay Porter for life
- New data highlights 'achievement gap' for students in the US
- A court ruling will allow new student housing at University of California, Berkeley’s People’s Park.
- National Donut Day 2024 deals: Get free food at Dunkin', Krispy Kreme, Duck Donuts, Sheetz
- A 102-year-old World War II veteran dies en route to D-Day commemorations in Europe and is mourned
- McConnell absent from Senate on Thursday as he recovers from fall in Capitol
- Ex-Wisconsin warden, 8 others charged after investigation into inmate deaths
Ranking
- Nevada attorney general revives 2020 fake electors case
- College Football Playoff 12-team bracket and schedule for 2024-25 season announced
- Jelly Roll and Wife Bunnie XO Share Their Plans to Have a Baby Through IVF
- Matt Rife Shares He's Working on Getting Better After Medical Emergency
- What to know about Tuesday’s US House primaries to replace Matt Gaetz and Mike Waltz
- Why Teen Mom's Leah Messer Was Hesitant to Support Her Dad Through His Detox Journey
- McDonald's loses Big Mac trademark as EU court sides with Irish rival Supermac's
- House Republicans issue criminal referrals for James and Hunter Biden, alleging they lied to Congress
Recommendation
Hackers hit Rhode Island benefits system in major cyberattack. Personal data could be released soon
8 dead, dozens hospitalized after drinking bootleg alcohol in Morocco
NCAA baseball super regionals teams ranked as 16 teams fight for College World Series
Free throws, free food: Chipotle to give away burritos during NBA Finals
As Trump Enters Office, a Ripe Oil and Gas Target Appears: An Alabama National Forest
Watch rescuers save two dogs trapped on the flooded streets of Brazil
Selma Blair Shares Health Update Amid Multiple Sclerosis Remission
Biden lauds WWII veterans on D-Day 80th anniversary, vows NATO solidarity in face of new threat to democracy