Tax white-owned businesses and redistribute funds to black and brown-owned businesses, suggests Denver City Council member.

Denver City Council Member Advocates for Reparations

Communist Candi CdeBaca Calls for Taxing White-Owned Businesses

Denver City Council member Candi CdeBaca made headlines this week when she called for reparations to be paid to black and brown-owned businesses. CdeBaca, an unabashed communist, has long been a vocal advocate for community ownership of land, labor, and resources.

During a recent forum, CdeBaca argued that capitalism was built on stolen land, labor, and resources, and that a check alone could not undo the cumulative impact of generations of that stolen wealth. Instead, she called for ongoing reparations in the form of land, labor, and resources.

Taxing White-Led Businesses to Support Black and Brown-Owned Businesses

CdeBaca also suggested that white-led businesses should be taxed extra and the money redistributed to black and brown-owned businesses. She argued that this would be a more effective way to support struggling businesses in the Five Points neighborhood, rather than increasing taxes on black and brown-owned businesses.

“And that’s one way to give back in the business form fashion. I think when we talk about resources being returned, this is where consumer-owned or municipally-owned resources are important,” she said.

Reparations in the Form of Checks

CdeBaca also called for ongoing checks to be given to black and brown people as a form of reparations. She argued that these checks should go beyond welfare wages and instead provide prosperous wages to repair the harm caused by the entire economy.

While CdeBaca’s proposals have sparked controversy, they have also brought attention to the ongoing debate over reparations and how best to address the legacy of slavery and systemic racism in America.