Did You Claim Your Slavery Tax Credits?

by expatbrit 47 Replies latest jw friends

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  expatbrit

  IRS Erroneously Paid Slavery Credits
  Sat Apr 13,11:19 AM ET
  By CURT ANDERSON, AP Tax Writer

  WASHINGTON - The Internal Revenue Service (news - web sites) mistakenly paid out more than $30 million to tax filers seeking nonexistent slavery tax credits in 2000 and 2001, according to a Treasury Department (news - web sites) investigation.

  A growing number of black taxpayers are being misled by scams falsely claiming that, for a fee, they can get tax credits or refunds as reparations for slavery. The scams are given credence when some taxpayers actually get money.

  The IRS received more than 77,000 tax returns last year claiming $2.7 billion in reparations refunds, up from 13,000 the year before. Last year, the IRS discovered that some erroneous refunds were being issued but was only partly effective in stopping them.

  The Treasury inspector general for tax administration, David C. Williams, said in Senate testimony this week that refunds of more than $80,000 were issued "in some instances" to married couples when each spouse claimed the reparations credit.

  In 2000 and the first four months of 2001, Williams said, more than $30 million in erroneous reparations payments were paid. After April of last year, a computer program developed by the inspector general identified an additional $16.1 million in claims before they were paid.

  The Washington Post, citing an unidentified official, reported that one IRS employee is under investigation for allegedly helping process returns that claimed the credit. At least 12 current and former IRS employees, all low-level workers in processing centers, applied to receive such a credit, the newspaper report said.

  Typical scams use terms such as "black investment taxes," "reparations for African-Americans" or a "black inheritance tax refund."

  This is the first indication of what these scams cost the government. Most of the mistaken payments were for about $43,000, a figure Essence magazine suggested in 1993 as the updated value of 40 acres and a mule, which some freed slaves were given under an order by a Union general during the Civil War.

  The tax agency is now trying to recover the money it paid out, though officials would not disclose how much has been collected.

  Starting Monday, the IRS will be begin levying a $500 fine on taxpayers who do not withdraw the claim if they have been caught.
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  teenyuck

  This is ridiculous.

  My relatives came from Russia, Poland, Ireland and Sweden. All between 1910 and 1918.

  I will do everything I can to not have my tax dollars go to a reparations fund. Neither myself or my relatives had anything to do with slavery. My relatives were cleaning people and dirt poor...they were treated badly when they came here.

  Granted it was of their own free will, however, how many African Americans can honestly say that they would be better off today in Africa, if their decendant had not been sold by the tribal leader to the European traders? Many African countries are still selling people into slavery.

  I am sick of the "entitlement/victim" mentality.

  If decendants of slaves get reparations, I want reparations as a former JW who was demeaned and harrassed in Chicago area public schools. I, too, have mental handicaps from reaching my potential because of this behavior by others. I think the tax payers of America should fund it.
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  JT

  my wife and i saw this on msnbc yesterday-

  the stuff folks will do to keep from paying the tax man

  you got to love it

  in an article in the post yesterday they mentioned this along with Offshore havens for those with a few coins

  i don't want to mess with the IRS
• 

  SixofNine

  "Did You Claim Your Slavery Tax Credits?"

  Not yet, but massa Bush is gonna pay come monday!
• 

  Bendrr

  Oh great! First the "Earned Income Credit" crap and now this! Nothing makes me madder than watching people get back more than they paid in, while I probably paid more just in taxes than they even earned.
  I guess if we're going to do it that way, then Egypt needs to start forking over some cash to Israel for slavery reparations.

  whatever...
• 

  rhett

  You know, its stuff like this that really makes me wish my wife would have let me say our son was some sort of minority when he was born.
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  Utopian Reformist

  To those of you who boldy flaunt your european ancestry and the unfortunate plight of the turn of the century immigrant, I would caution you to remember that whether an immigrant was russian, polish, irish, italian, german or other, NONE were lynched, persecuted and attacked violently by the KKK. None were prevented from making purchases, drinking in community fountains, or riding the same public transportation.

  Perhaps the American Civil War ended in 1865, however, up until 1945, over 10,000 more blacks were lynched in the southern states during that period. I don't remember any such styled incidents of violence occurring anywhere up north or in any of the large american cities where immigrants settled.

  The argument of "my ancestors came here on a boat and worked hard....blah blah blah blah"..is outdated and weak. They were not singled out for any special persecution nor were they prevented from publicly integrating into the american mainstream. That fact conveniently escapes your notice.

  The northern industrial economy and the southern agricultural economy benefitted immensely from the productivity of slave labor, period. That "free of charge" productivity grew the GNP & GDP of this country 100 fold during the 19th century. Check your facts.

  Perhaps, if your european ancestors had in fact spent 400 years of living under slavery on this north american continent, you might have a basis for comparison. However, it does not exist. Only the native american indians come close.

  Now, no matter how your immigrant ancestors arrived, the fact is they found the land of opportunity this government was able to provide, which was created and built upon slave labor. YES indeed reparations are owed. YOUR ancestors should have been taxed heavily as their progeny for making undeterred progress in this country.

  How dare you minimize the black holocaust? How dare you take for granted the many peaceful nights your ancestors (and you) have enjoyed sleeping without fear of white robes or masks?

  As an immigrant, I am ashamed of those who propogate such bitter, "white trash iedology". Someday, the shoe will be in the other foot. Let's see if you can survive the transition!
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  bakedcanuck

  well said utopian reformist. i agree completely.
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  MegaDude

  We should sue England for that American Revolution thing. I'm still pissed about that.
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  sunscapes

  Wouldn't all ex-Bethelites be entitled? After all, aren't all JWs "slaves for Jehovah"? Pay up!