Illinois's Flat Tax Exacerbates Income Inequality and Racial Wealth Gaps

Flat or graduated personal income taxes drive income inequality and racial wealth gaps. This brief compares Illinois’s flat income tax structure to the proposed Fair Tax amendment through a retrospective analysis. It shows that Illinois’s historic flat income tax in lieu of a graduated rate tax (used by most states) results in a tax subsidy for the wealthiest Illinoisans that compounds income inequality and racial wealth gaps.