Looks at the way we tax the poor in the United States, particularly in the American South, where poor families are often subject to income taxes, and where regressive sales taxes apply even to food for home consumption. This book argues that these policies contribute in unrecognized ways to poverty-related problems.
"New South? Not really. A compelling demonstration that the South's regressive taxation wreaks so much havoc that the federal government has no choice but to swoop in at great cost and attempt to band-aid all the poverty and dysfunction. The best argument yet for a new federalism that says enough is enough."-David B. Grusky, Stanford University
"Taxing the Poor makes extremely important points that are not now-but must be-part of the American discussion of poverty and social policy. The authors make these points with fascinating details on the history of how we got to this place. Bravo to Newman and O'Brien for thoroughly laying out a politcal economy of taxation."-Robin Einhorn, author of American Taxation, American Slavery
"Newman and O'Brien have done a solid job of bringing long-overdue sociological attention to the issue of subnational taxation and its consequences for poverty."
