DC Fiscal Policy Institute
@dcfpi.bsky.social
The DC Fiscal Policy Institute shapes racially-just tax, budget, and policy decisions to advance an antiracist, equitable future. dcfpi.org
While the RENTAL Act included a series of changes to TOPA, this one affected approximately 81,000 existing units and untold more in the future, creating a "historic loss of tenants’ rights," according to Mychal Cohen, a senior policy analyst at DCFPI. 51st.news/housing-law-...
DC tenant advocates sound alarm about a RENTAL Act loophole
Tenant organizers fought to exempt renovated buildings from the sweeping housing law, but advocates say that isn’t working in practice.
51st.news
Decades of historical and ongoing discrimination have greatly limited the economic outcomes of Black households, who in turn face the brunt of the District’s enduring affordability crisis. Read more in our latest blog: https://loom.ly/tttZkiY
Three Out of Five Black Residents Can’t Afford DC | DC Fiscal Policy Institute
The perennial conversation around affordability in DC stems not just from high prices, but also from household incomes that are insufficient to cover costs—a situation that is particularly acute for Black households.
dcfpi.org
. @tazramitchell.bsky.social questioned the mayor’s criticism of council for using 1-time $ to balance the budget when Bowser wrote to the council in May with a list of priorities for how to use $ from the decoupling & reserve funding. “It’s quite hypocritical” www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/202...
Bowser, warning of $837M ‘fiscal cliff,’ declines to sign D.C. budget
It’s not a veto, but it’s the mayor’s way of voicing her disapproval with the D.C. Council.
washingtonpost.com
Parents need accessible, affordable child care. Research has shown that high-quality child care leads to long-term learning & development benefits for children. But DC child care is among the most expensive in the country. Read our report: dcfpi.org/all/if-you-b...
If You Build It: Recommendations for Increasing the Supply of Affordable Child Care to Meet District Demand | DC Fiscal Policy Institute
Parents need accessible, affordable child care to work, go back to school, and to ensure their children are receiving the care they need to develop. Research has shown that high-quality […]
dcfpi.org
To learn more about why this bill is so dangerous for DC, read our statement: dcfpi.org/press-releas... @robertwhitedc.bsky.social @eleanornorton.bsky.social @cmzparker5.bsky.social @cmlewisgeorgew4.bsky.social @chairmanmendelson.com @chenderson.bsky.social
House Committee Advances Bill Stripping DC of Control Over Its Own Tax Code | DC Fiscal Policy Institute
The bill is the third attack on DC’s budget autonomy in less than two years.
dcfpi.org
Thank you for showing up strongly to oppose HR 9720, which would be a major incursion on DC’s right to self-govern. This bill is the third attack on DC’s ability to budget in less than two years, and it is another attempt to destabilize DC.
Washington did not drift into disenfranchisement. It was disenfranchised, deliberately, at the moment its Black residents were gaining power. Read more: www.theroot.com/as-america-t...
So what ended up (or didn't end up) in the council-approved DC budget? And how does the final budget compare to our recommendations and to the proposed budget from the Mayor? We've broken it all down here: dcfpi.org/all/whats-in...
What’s in the Fiscal Year 2027 DC Budget? | DC Fiscal Policy Institute
Comparing how the mayor’s proposed and Council-approved budgets meet community needs
dcfpi.org
Today, the US House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform advanced H.R. 9720, D.C. Taxing Authority Review Act, on a party-line vote, which would strip DC of control over its own tax code. Read our statement: dcfpi.org/press-releas...
Tomorrow, the House Oversight Committee marks up a bill that would let Congress block DC tax or fee changes, even if residents debated and passed them. It responds to ideas under debate that would make our tax code fairer: the Business Activity Tax and Wealth Proceeds Tax.
If you want more examples of how a Wealth Proceeds Tax works, we have you covered! (A note: we proposed a piggyback on the federal tax, which has lower thresholds than what CM Nadeau proposed) dcfpi.org/all/dc-can-r...
DC Can Raise $121 Million or More with a Simple Tax on Proceeds from Wealth | DC Fiscal Policy Institute
DC could simply add a local tax of 2 percent, or higher, to that same wealth reported to the federal government to yield substantial new annual revenue
dcfpi.org
DC Fiscal Policy Institute@dcfpi.bsky.social · last mo.“We cannot keep asking the people who need the most to give the most, while asking those who have the most to give nothing more,” Nadeau said. Read @brianneknadeau.bsky.social's proposal for a Wealth Proceeds Tax here: brianneknadeau.com/wp-content/u...
We need the wealthy to pay their fair share so that our city can thrive. A Wealth Proceeds Tax, which would apply to individuals making $400K+ & married couples making $500K+, is estimated to raise $200 million in FY27 & hundreds of millions subsequently. dc.citycast.fm/dc-politics/...
D.C. Council to Weigh New Tax on Rich · City Cast DC
Councilmember Brianne Nadeau introduced a wealth tax on high-income residents. It would tax 3% on the passive income of individuals making more than $400,000 a year or couples filing jointly making mo...
dc.citycast.fm
“By failing to take up the wealth proceeds tax, which would advance racial and tax justice, it means lawmakers are kicking the can down the road,” @tazramitchell.bsky.social said. https://loom.ly/9zUbRds
DC Council Punts Wealth Tax Debate to the Fall
The DC Council plans to consider a wealth proceeds tax in September, rather than this summer.
inequality.org
Poverty is a racial justice issue. On average from 2020-2024, nearly 41% of children in Ward 8, which is predominantly Black, lived below the poverty line, compared to 3.8% of children in Ward 3, which is predominantly white. Learn more: dcfpi.org/all/dc-child...
DC Child Poverty Back to Extreme Level After Short-Lived Progress | DC Fiscal Policy Institute
Between 2023 and 2024, DC’s child poverty rate increased by 11.2 percentage points to reach 28.1 percent, the largest year-to-year increase in the past decade
dcfpi.org
An important thread from @shira-m.bsky.social on the clawback provisions that we need the Council to add in the 2nd BSA vote ⬇️⬇️⬇️
Shira@shira-m.bsky.social · last mo.DC Council is creating 3 new tax breaks for developers to build housing and commercial space. In return, they must build some affordable housing, prioritize hiring DC residents and contract with DC businesses BUT the tax breaks lack clawbacks to ensure that happens bit.ly/441vTyI
“You’re choosing rich folks’ comfortability over poor folks’ life, and that is the story of our community,” said Nadia Salazar, a Bolivian migrant and strategic campaigns manager at the DC Fiscal Policy Institute. www.washingtoninformer.com/dc-council-b...
The Collins D.C. Council Report: Revenue Raisers, Semi-Open Primaries, and Unfinished Business
D.C. Council approves budget without wealth tax, leaving organizers disappointed. Advocates push for tax on wealthy to fund essential programs.
washingtoninformer.com
DCFPI staff are at the Wilson building today for the second budget vote. See you in the council chamber!
Want to join the team at the DC Fiscal Policy Institute? We're looking for a Director of Communications who cares about finding just policy solutions to rebuild inequitable systems in DC! Learn more and apply: dcfpi.org/jobs-and-int...
Director of Communications | DC Fiscal Policy Institute
The DC Fiscal Policy Institute (DCFPI) seeks a highly strategic Director of Communications to oversee a comprehensive communications plan to advance solutions that expand economic opportunity and well...
dcfpi.org
In DC, growing older while Black means having less. As the District faces both a recession and constrained revenue, it is important that our elected officials focus resources on those who most need support. Read more: loom.ly/wSc_1Ps
In DC, Growing Older While Black Means Having Less | DC Fiscal Policy Institute
By every measure, such as median income, poverty rate, and homeownership, older Black residents are significantly worse off than older white residents.
loom.ly
Failing to raise recurring revenue this year means that the mayor and Council will face the same dire choices next year—either bring in new resources to stabilize the budget or make even more harmful cuts. Read more from DCFPI on the first budget vote: dcfpi.org/all/councils...
Council’s Initial FY 2027 Budget Averts Crisis but Punts on Decisions Around Dire Revenue Need | DC Fiscal Policy Institute
With the largely temporary revenue Councilmembers were able to raise, they at least partially addressed cuts to several programs that help residents afford their basic needs. But even with these meani...
dcfpi.org
Last night, President Trump threatened to revert DC to governance on a “federal basis.” The statement is the latest in this administration's pattern of interference in DC's autonomy & a direct threat to the democratic rights of DC residents. Read more: dcfpi.org/press-releas...
.@cmcharlesallen.bsky.social on Mayor Bowser's trickle down budget proposal: "simply saying the word growth over and over again is not the same as supporting it." Fully agree - dcfpi.org/all/years-of...
Years of Top-Down Investments Have Not Resulted in Widespread Economic Benefits | DC Fiscal Policy Institute
The gap between the wealthiest and poorest DC residents has continued unabated, more Black residents have been displaced, and the District has made no progress on chronic racial economic disparities.
dcfpi.org
The Council won’t even consider averting some of these cuts through a wealth proceeds tax - a small tax increase on wealthy residents who got a windfall from the Trump tax cuts – which is based on an existing federal tax and has worked in other states. dcfpi.org/all/dc-can-r...
DC Can Raise $121 Million or More with a Simple Tax on Proceeds from Wealth | DC Fiscal Policy Institute
DC could simply add a local tax of 2 percent, or higher, to that same wealth reported to the federal government to yield substantial new annual revenue
dcfpi.org
The Council does this this while cutting essential programs and services that help residents with low incomes make ends meet. dcfpi.org/all/years-of...
Some important thoughts from our Director of Economic Policy as we get started on the budget conversations today. ⬇️⬇️⬇️
Shira@shira-m.bsky.social · 2mo agoToday the DC Council votes on a budget that creates several new tax breaks for developers with little evidence presented on the need for them or conversation about if they’ll support inclusive growth that benefits DC residents.
What do we want to see in the DC budget? Here's a start!
Today is the first budget vote. We know that the budget needs to support a strong and equitable economy, where residents have their needs met and have opportunity; so today we're here reminding the Council of their responsibility to the people of DC.
The first vote is tomorrow! Call council TODAY and tell them you support a Wealth Proceeds Tax. More details ⬇️
Fair Budget Coalition@fairbudgetdc.bsky.social · 2mo ago🚨TIME SENSITIVE ACTION🚨 Without exploring progressive revenue raisers, we cannot preserve DC’s safety net. That’s not theoretical — it’s families going hungry, losing healthcare, and being pushed into homelessness or fully out of DC. Tell council to pass a 3% Wealth Proceeds Tax! bit.ly/callfor3
Before the first budget vote tomorrow, tell your DC Councilmembers that it is time for a wealth proceeds tax. We need to act now to raise revenue, protect essential services, and make DC’s tax system fairer for everyone. ✉️: actionnetwork.org/letters/dc-c...
A DC Wealth Tax Would Address Extreme Inequality
The budget in front of the DC Council would invest scarce resources into disproven “trickle-down” tactics at the expense of health care and supports for workers and families.
actionnetwork.org
