Paying for Being Poor
A new study by the Brookings Institution found that the urban poor pay hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars a year in extra costs for necessities, such as car insurance, home appliances, banking fees and other basics. (NYT link)A new study by the Brookings Institution found that the urban poor pay hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars a year in extra costs for necessities, such as car insurance, home appliances, banking fees and other basics. (NYT link)
WAIT BEFORE YOU GO...NYT: Study Documents ‘Ghetto Tax’ Being Paid by the Urban Poor By ERIK ECKHOLM
WASHINGTON, July 18 — Drivers from low-income neighborhoods of New York, Hartford and Baltimore, insuring identical cars and with the same driving records as those from middle-class neighborhoods, paid $400 more on average for a year’s insurance.
The poor are also the main customers for appliances and furniture at “rent to own” stores, where payments are stretched out at very high interest rates; in Wisconsin, a $200 television can end up costing $700. link
This year, the ground feels uncertain — facts are buried and those in power are working to keep them hidden. Now more than ever, independent journalism must go beneath the surface.
At Truthdig, we don’t just report what's happening — we investigate how and why. We follow the threads others leave behind and uncover the forces shaping our future.
Your tax-deductible donation fuels journalism that asks harder questions and digs where others won’t.
Don’t settle for surface-level coverage.
Unearth what matters. Help dig deeper.
Donate now.
Our priorities and judgment have become warped as we deify the rich and famous and neglect the meek. This is the trap of a capitalistic society.
In a tough year, our most popular opinion pieces provided analysis of the news and solutions for the problems we face.
Celebrating Mass with impoverished people in the splendor of St. Peter’s Basilica, Pope Francis denounces those who dismiss poverty as "not my business."
British charity Oxfam calls for a crackdown on tax havens after its report finds the world's wealthiest hiding $7.6 trillion from taxes.
The retail giant announced it is working to transfer 10,000 U.S. employees to nearby stores as its CEO says the closings are “necessary to keep the company strong.”
According to new data, nearly 50 million of America's 243 million adults are part of the world's poorest 10 percent.
You need to be a supporter to comment.
There are currently no responses to this article.
Be the first to respond.