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    The Middle Class Squeeze

    “Families in the District with incomes of $20,000 to $60,000 pay one-tenth of their incomes in DC property, sales, and income taxes, according to a new study by the Institute on Taxation & Economic Policy. This is much higher than the share of income the city’s richest families pay in DC taxes.

    “The new analysis has one important bright spot, finding that the city’s poorest families face the lowest combined DC taxes — largely due to a targeted low-income tax benefits.” Read more

    March 10, 2010
    No Shelter from the Storm: DC’s Rainy Fund Is Inaccessible in the Midst of a Severe Fiscal Crisis

    February 5, 2010
    Nowhere To Go: As DC Housing Costs Rise, Residents Are Left With Fewer Affordable Housing Options

    December 9, 2009
    Oppose Downtown Business Tax Breaks — Please Sign On Today!

    December 9, 2009
    A Proposed Tax Break to Recruit CoStar into the District: High Costs, Questionable Benefits, Bad Tax Policy

    December 1, 2009
    The Middle Class Squeeze: DC’s Tax System Falls Most Heavily on Moderate-Income Families

    The DC Fiscal Policy Institute conducts research and public education on budget and tax issues in the District of Columbia, with a particular emphasis on issues that affect low- and moderate-income residents. By preparing timely analyses that are used by policy makers, the media, and the public, DCFPI seeks to inform public debates on budget and tax issues and to ensure that the needs of lower-income residents are considered in those debates. Learn More about DCFPI

    DCFPI writes a monthly column –”The Numbers” — that runs in the Hill Rag, East of the River, and DC North. All are owned by Capital Community News.

    The February column highlights a new DCFPI report which shows that rising rents since 2000 have resulted in a substantial loss of housing that is affordable to low- and moderate-income residents. As a result, nearly 100,000 DC households now face affordability problems. DC’s investment in housing in the mid-2000s helped the problems from becoming even worse, but recent cutbacks in funding for housing mean that the city is barely making any progress on this enormous challenge.

    Disappearing Act: Shrinking Affordable Housing Options in DC