The Better Taxes Action Fund (BTAF) is an advocacy group dedicated to achieving left-of-center tax policies, primarily increasing taxes for high-income earners. The Better Taxes Action Fund is a project of the Sixteen Thirty Fund, a funding and fiscal sponsorship group organized as a lobbying and electoral nonprofit managed by left-of-center philanthropic consultancy Arabella Advisors. ¹

Background

The Better Taxes Action Fund is a project of the Sixteen Thirty Fund, a 501(c)(4) funding and fiscal sponsorship nonprofit managed by left-of-center philanthropic consultancy Arabella Advisors. ²

BTBA’s sister group is Better Taxes for a Better America (BTBA), a 501(c)(3) fiscally sponsored by the Hopewell Fund, a charitable advocacy fund managed by Arabella Advisors. ³

Goals

Through Better Taxes for a Better America, the Better Taxes Action Fund asserts that the current American tax code benefits “the interests of a powerful and wealthy few at the expense of everyone else.” It argues the tax code is set up to “deliberately [starve] the public of the resources needed to properly invest in our communities,” which, among other problems, causes “deepening racial disparities.” ⁴

BTAF and BTBA aim to increase tax revenue to combat climate change, fund government-provided childcare, increase education spending, provide healthcare, and maintain infrastructure. ⁵

BTAF and BTBA supports establishing a billionaire minimum income tax and a permanent child tax credit. ⁶

BTAF and BTBA’s 2024 and 2026 priorities include increasing taxation on high net-worth individuals, increasing taxes on corporations, and increasing tax credits for low-income earners. ⁷

Activity

The Better Taxes Action Fund’s website is a copy of Better Taxes for a Better America’s website with substantially less information, including no reference to personnel. Sarah Pray, formerly of the Open Society Foundations, is listed as BTBA’s executive director. ^{8 9}

BTBA’s document outlining its goals for 2024 through 2026 include impacting the 2024 election through BTAF and increasing the “lobbying capacity” of BTAF. ¹⁰

1. “Privacy Policy.” Better Taxes Action Fund. Accessed June 1, 2024. https://bettertaxesaction.org/privacy-policy/.
2. “Privacy Policy.” Better Taxes Action Fund. Accessed June 1, 2024. https://bettertaxesaction.org/privacy-policy/.
3. “Privacy Policy.” Better Taxes for a Better America. Accessed June 1, 2024. https://bettertaxes.org/privacy-policy/.
4. “A Funder Table for Smart Tax Reform.” Better Taxes for a Better America. Accessed June 1, 2024. https://bettertaxes.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/BTBA-BTAF-Strategy-1-pager-3.pdf.
5. “A Funder Table for Smart Tax Reform.” Better Taxes for a Better America. Accessed June 1, 2024. https://bettertaxes.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/BTBA-BTAF-Strategy-1-pager-3.pdf.
6. “Homepage.” Better Taxes for a Better America. Accessed June 1, 2024. https://bettertaxes.org/.
7. “A Funder Table for Smart Tax Reform.” Better Taxes for a Better America. Accessed June 1, 2024. https://bettertaxes.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/BTBA-BTAF-Strategy-1-pager-3.pdf.
8. “Sarah Pray.” LinkedIn. Accessed June 1, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-pray/.
9. “Homepage.” Better Taxes Action Fund. Accessed June 1, 2024. https://bettertaxesaction.org/.
10. “A Funder Table for Smart Tax Reform.” Better Taxes for a Better America. Accessed June 1, 2024. https://bettertaxes.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/BTBA-BTAF-Strategy-1-pager-3.pdf.