Neighborhoods with over 10 percent black homeowners lose value and deserve targeted tax subsidies.

Evidence

However, let’s assume inertia wins. My next best option, after a full repeal of federal tax subsidies for homeowners, would be to reserve those subsidies for homeowners living in the neighborhoods that suffer under the system. I propose we revise all homeownership subsidies to target them directly to those living in neighborhoods that are undervalued because of the race of their occupants. Those neighborhoods deserve government tax subsidies, because the government’s original discrimination against black Americans gave rise to the current discrimination perpetuated by private white homebuyers. Since 10 percent seems to be the magic number of black homeowners that makes a neighborhood lose value, homeowners living in neighborhoods with more than 10 percent black homeowners would be eligible for all current tax subsidies. — Dorothy A. Brown, Getting to Reparations, 1295

Categorization

• QUESTION: The ‘10 percent magic number’ threshold is a bold, highly contestable design choice — the strongest grounding objection to Brown’s plan and worth interrogating.