California Lawmaker Proposes Tax on Products Tied to Slave Labor

California would levy a new excise tax on gold, cotton, and other items historically produced with slave labor to fund housing loans and education for African Americans under a newly introduced bill.

The bill (A.B. 3152) by Assemblyman Reggie Jones-Sawyer (D) is one of more than a dozen bills backed by the California Legislative Black Caucus seeking reparations for African Americans in California, especially those who are descendants of enslaved people. The bills stem from a July 2023 report from the state Reparations Task Force, where Jones-Sawyer served as a member.

The tax would ...