Congresswoman Jazmine Crockett (D-TX) is receiving heat for her comments about reparations on “The Black Lawyers Podcast,” last week.
The Freshman Congresswoman is no stranger to going viral, but conservative media is dragging her over her off-the-cuff remarks about tax breaks and reparations. While on the podcast, Crockett recounted hearing a celebrity say that in place of cash payments as reparations, Black Americans could receive a temporary break from paying taxes.
“One of the things they propose is black folk not have to pay taxes for a certain amount of time,” said Crockett, adding, “I don’t know that that’s… necessarily a bad idea.”
However, she noted that some lower-income Americans already don’t pay taxes, likely referring to people who qualify for things like the Earned Income Tax Credit — meaning the tax break wouldn’t help them. She suggested instead that maybe cash reparations for Black Americans would be better, similar to the stimulus checks people received during COVID-19.
Conservative media quickly jumped on her comments. The Daily Mail called the moment “bizarre.” And on social media, conservative accounts blasted her comments.
“Jasmine Crockett may be even lower IQ than AOC. It’s a tough call. Thoughts?,” one social media user.
“These are people who are writing our laws. Lord help us,” posted another user.
It’s worth noting that major corporations in the United States frequently avoid paying taxes without earning the same ire from the right. For example the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy found that at least 55 of the largest companies in the the United States paid no federal corporate taxes on their 2020 profits. And we’re not talking about no-name organizations. The list includes companies like FedEx, Nike, HP and Salesforce.
In 2021, Amazon made $35.1 billion in profits, according to the Center for American Progress, but only paid a Federal effective tax rate of 6.1%.
The idea that reparations would include a temporary or even permanent version of the Earned Income Tax Credit, which gives low-income families a refundable credit towards their annual taxes — is far from a brand new or “bizarre” idea. But that certainly didn’t stop Crockett from receiving a ton of heat over it.