A Texas Democratic congresswoman suggested that black Americans should be exempt from paying taxes as a means of reparations.
U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett appeared on “The Black Lawyers Podcast” and discussed possible routes for reparations.
Crockett said she heard a celebrity say black people should be tax-exempt, thinking to herself, “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,” she told the podcast host.
“But at the same time, it may not be as objectionable to some people [as] actually giving out dollars,” she continued.
The congresswoman gave cause to the idea of reparations because for “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.”
Crockett appeared to backtrack on the idea, however, noting that the idea may create problems for “people that are already, say, struggling and aren’t really paying taxes in the first place.”
The podcast host interjected and said that some people “may want those checks like they got during COVID” instead of tax exemptions.
American Faith reported that Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) urged the federal government to approve a $14 trillion reparations measure.
Bowman is a co-sponsor of the bill HR 414, which supports the “restoration of voting rights for persons currently or previously incarcerated,” and provides free college education for black Americans attending historically black colleges and universities.
“When COVID was destroying us, we invested in the American people in a way that kept the economy afloat,” said Bowman, according to Fox News. “The government can invest the same way in reparations without raising taxes on anyone.”
