IRS Pays Millions in Slavery Reparations

Newsmax ^ | 4/13/02 | Carl Limbacher

[Lucky2]

Saturday April 13, 2002; 2:24 p.m. EDT IRS Pays Millions in Slavery Reparations

While the debate over slavery reparations rages in legal and academic circles, it seems some folks at the Internal Revenue Service have already resolved the question.

In fact, two years ago the tax collecting agency began handing out reparations payments to the tune of millions, based on claims filed by taxpayers who cited a nonexistent slavery tax credit.

The scam, touted by con-artists who tell unsuspecting marks they can help collect the slavery money for a fee, has resulted in $2.7 billion in claims, of which $30 million has been approved by the IRS.

The racket is so widespread that a dozen current and former IRS employees have even applied for the slavery cash.

An IRS computer program designed to catch the bogus slavery claims misses a full four percent, said the Washington Post, which revealed the scam's success on Saturday - just two days before the IRS's filing deadline.

Most of the taxpayer funded slavery payments were for $43,209, the figure cited by Essence Magazine in 1993 as the estimated current value of "40 acres and a mule" - compensation promised to some freed slaves after the Civil War.

But deputy IRS inspector general Pamela Gardiner admitted that in some cases, where couples filing jointly both claimed reparations refunds, checks for $80,000 were cut.

Gardiner told the Post that the mistaken payments have encouraged others who might otherwise be skeptical of the slavery tax credit to file their own claims.

"Schemes all tend to jump as word (of their success) begins to get out," she said.

[Lucky2]

Forgive me if this has already been posted, I did a topic search and couldn't find the article. The IRS is at it again and is being manipulated by con-artists! It's time for this slavery reparation topic to find itself in the trash!

[Fred Mertz]

If I claim to be black on paper, can I get a piece of the pie?

[undergroundwarrior]

Will the I.R.S. seek re-payments? With interest? Will the I.R.S. prosecute the scammers???

I doubt it. Too politically incorrect. Only in America!!!

[elwoodp]

I think the figure is in the billions, not millions. Since 1965, we have spent nearly $5 billion on welfare programs --at least half of which finds its way into the gaping pockets of POCs (people of color). Add in the billions of dollars we spent to fight POC crime and its effects, and the figure likely doubles.

[Loyalist]

35,000,000 black Americans x $43,209 = $1,512,315,000,000. Less than one-third the estimated cost of welfare programs since 1965. Maybe the reparations crowd does have a point....

[Loyalist]

SHOOT! My stupidity! Great Scott! That's $1.5 trillion dollars! Recession! Depression! Collapse of the entire free world economy! What was I thinking? That's economic Armageddon!

[stimulate]

Take their homes, just not the "crack".

[USC-Varsity]

These guys are just crooks.

[Teacher317]

And, of course, those taking advantage of the scam are going to do it EVERY year... and the threat of a $500 fine (which you can make in interest on the $43000 by the time the IRS catches up to you) will do nothing but encourage MORE false claims. I guess blacks do not need to fear the IRS the same way the rest of us do. I'm pretty sure I'd get felony charges, jail time, and some pretty stiff fines if I were to try to commit fraud on my taxes.

Reparations just got passed de facto, since they had no chance de jure. So now I just worked for the past 3 years to have enough tax proceeds confiscated from me to pay one of these theiving dirtbags to cheat the IRS and and in one day create a savings account larger than the one I've managed to build over the past decade.

[INSENSITIVE GUY]

In the first place,SLAVERY NEVER HAPPENED.In the second place there is no provision in the law to make this claim and those that have,have committed a felony.SO,ARREST THEM,MAKE SLAVES OF THEM AND THAT MAY LEGITIMIZE THE CLAIM.

[knuthom]

I have trouble believing this really happened. Where is the line on the tax form for this? If I just claim a "tax credit" of any kind, will it be approved?

[Militiaman7]

Another article from AP on this subject. IRS PAYS for Slavery Credits

[virgil]

I paid a lot more than $500 in taxes. This is criminal. They should serve time for conspiracy to defraud taxpayers. All of them.

[concerned about politics]

So when do they start charging these people for grand theft and tax fraud? If they don't, I'm adding it on my tax return. Every American should add it on. Why not? How could they charge us without charging all who have committed the same crime?

[screed]

An IRS computer program designed to catch the bogus slavery claims misses a full four percent, said the Washington Post, which revealed the scam's success on Saturday - just two days before the IRS's filing deadline.

Saturday huh? Gee what a surprise, you mean defrauding the government for millions didn't make the front page above the fold during the week but got buried in the least read edition of the week? Nooooooo. Well, at least the purely objective Washington Post can say they covered the story. See? The media has no liberal bias this proves it. Or is it the fact that they're all owned by millionaires that proves they're not biased. I forget what the media apology is this week.

[concerned about politics]

How many years can they steal from us? For the rest of their lives? What happened to equal protection under the law?

[Motherhood IS a career]

Gee, here I thought tax fraud was a serious crime.

[mathurine]

Evidently very few Blacks are receiving any income at all in this inhumane and unreceptive society and thus would not be filing income tax anyway.

[Motherhood IS a career]

this inhumane and unreceptive society...

Oh... boohoo... save it, please!

Where do you think all that money that I, you, and the rest of these folks dutifully pay, year after year, goes?

It's not bad enough that welfare fraud is being committed all over the place (and I'm not attributing that to blacks alone), and affirmative action is being rammed down our throats, but now this?

Inhumane and unreceptive, my A$$!

[2nd_Amendment_Defender]

My Ancestors were Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) and they were driven from their homes in the middle of winter and crossed the plains to settle in Utah. Where is my compensation for my great great great grandparents pain and suffering?

This is so stupid.