The taxation paradox is the most direct way of demonstrating why the general taxation model for reparations fails on its own terms.
British people of Caribbean heritage pay taxes. Their taxes go into the same general pool as everyone else’s. If reparations are funded from general taxation, Caribbean-heritage British people contribute to the payments. Their money goes to Caribbean governments claiming to act on behalf of their ancestors.
They did not consent to this arrangement. They were not asked whether they want their taxes used this way. The Caribbean governments receiving the money were not elected by them and do not represent them. And the money, once it reaches those governments, will be subject to whatever governance and accountability structures those governments operate under, which in several CARICOM member states is not reassuring.
The people the reparations campaign claims to be acting for would, under the proposed mechanism, be partially funding payments to governments claiming to represent them. This is not what justice looks like.
