Pay The Tab #17 - The “Black Tax”: A Grand Theft of Historic Proportions

Hi Friends,

We’re back at you with another explosive episode of Pay The Tab! On a topic most of us try to avoid: taxes.

Over the past 160 years, Black Americans have grossly over-paid their local property taxes due to crooked laws and assessors, while white homeowners have under-paid theirs. Meanwhile, the benefits of local taxes – schools, infrastructure, and all the services we need to live – have gone mainly to white neighborhoods, while Black areas are left in the dust. If that wasn’t enough, countless Black-owned properties were stolen with the help of local tax officials. The damage to Black families from this triple-barreled scam has been devastating: more than $600 billion in straight-up theft – and trillions in lost generational wealth!  

Check out our latest episode with special guest Andrew Kahrl, who exposes these dirty deeds in his groundbreaking new book The Black Tax: 150 Years of Theft, Exploitation, and Dispossession in America. Kahrl lays out these schemes and how they play a big part in today’s racial wealth gap. And we explore his ideas for transforming our grossly unfair tax system.

Thank you to our donors!

Some of you have generously signed up for regular donations to our project, via the Substack “paid subscription” option. We appreciate you! Pay The Tab is 100% self-funded and non-profit. Your donations help us pay for our platform, equipment, and other expenses.

Pay The Tab in the Community

We were jazzed to help lead a multi-generational Juneteenth conversation at Good Earth Community Garden in Los Angeles. We highlighted recent developments on the reparations front and examined the broken promise of 40 acres and a mule.

The discussion was inspiring and energizing. Momentum for reparations continues to build. Let’s keep it going!

Go to paythetab.org for all of our episodes and more about the podcast!

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Peace,

Tony & Adam