A group of black congressional leaders want white people to pay up for being white, at least that’s what an online hoax would have you believe.
“Congressional Black Caucus introduces bill: tax people for being white,” said a March 23 headline on International News Trends blog, which attributed the information to the Blacksphere website.
Facebook users flagged the post as being potentially fabricated, as part of the social network’s efforts to combat online hoaxes. The story misleads about a proposed bill related to studying reparations for African-Americans.
The story links to a January 2017 by the Washington Examiner that stated the Congressional Black Caucus and other Democrats re-introduced legislation that would set up a commission to consider whether reparations should be paid to black Americans for slavery.
The Examiner story never mentions the word “tax.” The bill, H.R. 40, doesn’t mention a tax for white people.
Rep. John Conyers Jr. D-Mich., proposed the bill repeatedly during the last two decades.
“I’m not giving up,” Conyers said in February 2017. “Slavery is a blemish on this nation’s history, and until it is formally addressed, our country’s story will remain marked by this blight.”
In December 2017, Conyers resigned amid sexual harassment allegations. He denied wrongdoing.
A headline said that the “Congressional Black Caucus introduces bill: tax people for being white.” The story cites a bill that calls for setting up a commission to consider reparations for slavery, but the bill doesn’t call for a tax on white people.
We rate this claim Pants on Fire.
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Truth-o-meter Ruling
Statement
Congressional Black Caucus introduces bill to "tax people for being white."
Context
headlineSpeaker/Target
Statement Date
Our Sources
International News Trends, "Congressional Black Caucus introduces bill: tax people for being white," March 23, 2018
The Blacksphere, "Congressional Black Caucus introduces bill: tax people for being white," Feb. 20, 2017
Washington Examiner, "Dems renew demand for slavery reparations," Jan. 4, 2017
NBC, "Veteran Congressman Still Pushing for Reparations in a Divided America," Feb. 20, 2017
Washington Post, "Rep. John Conyers Jr. resigns over sexual harassment allegations after a half-century in Congress," Dec. 5, 2017
Congress.gov, H.R.40 - Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African-Americans Act, Jan. 3, 2017
PolitiFact, "Fake news: Popular post claims Obama-led U.N. to make U.S. pay African-Americans reparations," Dec. 15, 2016
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