Congresswoman proposes exempting black people from taxes

A freshman Democratic representative from Texas in the US Congress, Jasmine Crockett, has suggested exempting black Americans from paying taxes.

Her proposal relates to the controversial idea of reparations that some academics and politicians say are owed to African Americans whose ancestors endured slavery and who continue to face a legacy of disadvantage.

In an interview with The Black Lawyers Podcast last week, Crockett argued that reparations in some form are necessary.

“So many black folk, not only do you owe for the labor that was stolen and killed, and all the other things, but the fact is we end up being so far behind,” the representative told her host.

She recalled a celebrity talking about making black people tax-exempt, and thought, “I don’t know that that’s … necessarily a bad idea.” 

“One of the things they propose is black folk not have to pay taxes for a certain amount of time because … that puts money back in your pocket,” Crockett explained.

According to the representative, the idea “may not be as objectionable to some people,” referring to the American taxpayers who would pay the balance to be made up when such an exemption is extended, as “actually giving out dollars.” 

The Texas representative, however, also put a damper on the idea of a tax exemption in the interview. She suggested that one of the biggest problems with the proposal is that some black people already aren’t paying taxes and would not, therefore, be eligible to receive reparations. 

Crockett called for consistency between the federal and state governments on reparations, whatever the overall plan, because if there is none, “everybody’s gonna run to whichever state and be like, ‘Yo, I need mine.’” 

The 43-year-old representative recently won a Democratic Party primary in her Dallas district, securing 91.5% of the vote, the New York Times reported.

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