A freshman House Democrat is suggesting that the federal government exempt Black Americans from taxes as reparations for the institution of chattel slavery, which existed in the country until the end of the American Civil War. Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) floated the idea of a tax exemption during an appearance on The Black Lawyers Podcast last week.
Addressing the multiple ideas she’s reviewed regarding how to implement reparations, the Democrat Congresswoman said: “One of the things they propose is black folk not have to pay taxes for a certain amount of time because then again that puts money back in your pocket.” Almost immediately after endorsing the idea, however, Crockett started realizing potential problems with the tax exemption plan.
She noted that many Black Americans who are struggling to find work and those reliant on government assistance already pay little to no federal income taxes, meaning an exemption would do little to help them. “I think that we first need to do a study; we need to be very thoughtful,” Crockett concluded.
The Texas Democrat — who represents one of the state’s few deep-blue Congressional districts — criticized her colleagues who oppose the idea of slavery reparations. “To think that America doesn’t owe the descendants of slaves is an error,” she told the podcast hosts. She added that many of her fellow Members of Congress “aren’t even willing to do the studies, aren’t willing to invest to make sure we can roll this out the right way.”
Some estimates put the total price tag on paying out reparations to the descendants of American slaves at $14 trillion. The National Pulse reported in late March that the Boston Task Force on Reparations issued a demand that “white churches” pay “tens of millions of dollars” towards reparations for slavery.
