America will never achieve racial justice without reforming our broken tax code

The Hill ^ | July 10, 2022 | Morris Pearl

[where's_the_Outrage?]

As inflation continues to impact working-class Americans across the country, reports show that Black Americans are being hit the hardest. On top of the massive economic inequalities caused by the pandemic, rising costs for housing, food, and gas are making it virtually impossible for Black communities to improve their financial conditions in material ways.

My grandfather — as a young person — met people who had been wealthy slave owners before the Civil War. It has only been a few generations since more of America’s wealth was derived from enslaved people rather than farmland or factories. We have come a long way since then.

Unfortunately, there is still a very long way to go. Black Americans continue to face systemic discrimination in virtually every corner and every institution in America. One of the most salient yet overlooked places where Black Americans encounter bias, however, is our nation’s tax code. Its preferential treatment of existing wealth over income leaves the Black community at a permanent disadvantage when compared to their significantly wealthier white counterparts.

[where's_the_Outrage?]

Amazing, I thought the tax code discriminated against the rich who pay the most taxes.

[Jewbacca]

Let me guess: the “solution” is making whitey pay and giving free money to black people.

[ConservativeInPA]

Taxes are racist. Everything is racist. Our tax code needs to be scrapped for a number of reasons, but false arguments isn’t the way to do it. To be crystal clear, incorrect problem identification leads to the wrong problems being solved.

[marron]

Endemic generational poverty in the modern era has more to do with broken families and substance abuse.

The bad old days were bad but they were over fifty years ago.

The writer admits it when he says he owes his success to parents who saw to it that he was brought up right and educated.

[BuchananBrigadeTrumpFan]

I suggest the author atone for his white guilt by donating a portion (most all) of his personal wealth to random black people.

[100%FEDUP]

There are people who really believe that white people don’t pay taxes.

[absalom01]

He’s picking up the drum-beat for a wealth tax.

Interesting that this is a Dem talking point in advance of the midterms, we should expect to see more of this in 2024 I guess.

[I want the USA back]

First of all the article is racist. It capitalizes black but lowercases White.

Secondly, all the left has to do is add a check box on the tax return for white/black. Whites will pay a higher rate and non-Whites will get free money.

I believe that will happen before very long.

[Little Ray]

Eff the race hustlers and eff racial justice.

[Lee25]

Systemic racism, I agree on that but not of country policy but of human civilization. Current basic rule in human civilization is work for living. That is to work to produce products or services to exchange products or services produced by others. Blacks are simply not capable of operating in such a setup due to lack of either industry or cognitive capacity

[libertylover]

It has only been a few generations since more of America’s wealth was derived from enslaved people rather than farmland or factories.

So, how is it then that southern states are generally more poor than northern states? Since air-conditioning, that's changing, but I think it's still true.

[Rurudyne]

“Unfortunately, there is still a very long way to go. Black Americans continue to face systemic discrimination in virtually every corner and every institution in America.”

BS. What they face is a narrative sustained by those who want to keep getting paid for keeping black people unhappier, angrier and feeling more entitled that they otherwise probably would be.

[Sequoyah101]

Everything is racis. It is the catch all excuse for failure and reply to anything anyone does not like.

[SauronOfMordor]

Now ask me if I care about racial justice any more.

[Gaffer]

Morris is just full of anti-white racist nonsense.....

[MarvinStinson]

Morris Pearl currently serves as Chair of the Patriotic Millionaires, a group of hundreds of high-net-worth Americans who are committed to making all Americans, including themselves, better off by building a more prosperous, stable, and inclusive nation. The group focuses on promoting public policy solutions that encourage political equality, guarantee a sustaining wage for working Americans, and ensure that millionaires, billionaires, and corporations pay their fair share of taxes.

Previously, Mr. Pearl was a managing director at BlackRock, one of the largest investment firms in the world.

[Smber]

HEADLINE: World to end; Women and Minorities hardest hit.

[ShadowAce]

Secondly, all the left has to do is add a check box on the tax return for white/black. Whites will pay a higher rate and non-Whites will get free money.

What about those who identify as something they are not?

[John S Mosby]

“met people who had owned slaves and maintained their wealth from slavery”.

NOT possible after the WAR was lost, and all slaves were emancipated for real for the entire country, and the individuals turned out to the world of public and private commerce— to look for and work for paid employment!

The landed wealthy of the South no longer had FREE (not paid by them) employment. If they still owned workable commodities properties- agriculture/vegetables for example— they had to pay for the labor of working the land. Using what credit they could obtain from a Land Bank that would advance them operational funds. NO- they by and large did not build on their wealth. They lost it, and paid for it in fines and retribution from federal interlocutors enforcing penalties through the occupying forces (the last having left GA in 1878 as a result of the Compromise of 1877 of the 1876 Presidential Election of Rutherford Hayes vs. Democrat Tilden with a “deal” over the fact that neither had a majority of Electoral votes).

[Organic Panic]

You pay taxes? Don’t you know the secret ‘white’ handshake? I just walk in to the IRS office, show my ID, give the secret handshake, then walk out with a wink and a nod with a “paid in full” on my tax forms.