Last year, DC lawmakers expanded the credit to make it the most generous in the nation, but it is not the most inclusive. Currently, it excludes roughly more than 5,000 low-paid working households because they have at least one person who is undocumented.
[…]
As revenues and the local economy rebound, DC lawmakers must continue to seize opportunities to make the bold investments necessary to further address long-standing racial inequities. This means ensuring that the District continues to take bold steps to […]
In August 2021, the DC Council adopted a tax plan that accomplishes two goals: increasing tax equity in DC and raising much-needed revenue for long-term transformative investments that advance racial equity.
What we’re after, and what the lives and livelihoods of people of color depend on, is a tax system that embodies racial justice both in its design and in the public investments it provides.
[…]
Earlier this year, the DC Fiscal Policy Institute released a report that recommends devoting cannabis tax revenue towards building community wealth for communities disproportionately harmed by the war on drugs.
“With a modest tax increase on D.C.’s wealthiest residents, the council will raise over $170 million each year by fiscal year 2025 to help dismantle structural barriers to opportunity for Black and Brown communities and those living on low incomes,”
In its first budget vote yesterday, the DC Council met the urgency of the moment by raising taxes on DC’s wealthiest to make ongoing, transformative investments in child care, homelessness prevention, and working residents.