On this edition of Your Call's Media Roundtable, we discuss a recent investigation by The Center for Public Integrity about the long struggle over taxing the rich.
In the past two years, at least 19 states have lowered their income taxes in ways that primarily benefit their most well-off residents, and conservative groups have spent millions to defeat tax increases on the wealthy. But there's growing interest in raising taxes on the wealthy. Lawmakers in seven states, including California, Connecticut, New York, and Washington, are introducing wealth-tax measures.
Late last year, Massachusetts imposed a surtax of 4 percent on income over $1 million through a ballot initiative. This “Massachusetts millionaires’ tax” had been introduced and defeated multiple times before finally becoming law.
How would a wealth tax mitigate rising wealth inequality?
Guests:
Melissa Hellmann, journalist at the Center for Public Integrity, covering racial, gender, and economic inequality
Maya Srikrishnan, investigative journalist at the Center for Public integrity, covering marginalized communities
Web Resources:
The Center for Public Integrity: State tax systems contribute to inequality. These states are doubling down.
The Center for Public Integrity: The long struggle over taxing the rich
In These Times: These 8 States Are Working Together to Tax the Hell Out of the Super-Rich
