If Congress passes the FairTax Act of 2025, Black America will face a defining moment that will either spark an economic awakening or accelerate financial collapse. This bill eliminates federal income taxes, payroll taxes, and the IRS, replacing them with a 23% national sales tax on nearly every new good and service we buy.
At first glance, it sounds like freedom—more take-home pay, no tax returns, no audits. But beneath the surface, this is a system designed to punish consumers and reward owners, savers, and investors. For a community conditioned into consumerism, this shift is more than policy—it’s a test of survival.
For too long, Black America has been trapped in a culture where success is measured by what we spend, not what we own. We’ve been targeted by corporations, misled by political elites, and distracted by symbolic victories, while the foundation of real economic power—ownership, investment, and financial literacy—has been ignored.
Supporters of the FairTax highlight the monthly rebate as protection for working families. Every legal resident household would receive a check designed to cover the taxes on necessities up to the poverty level. But let’s be clear—this rebate isn’t a pathway to prosperity. It’s a bare-minimum survival check. A family of four might receive around $575 a month. A single person, about $279: that’s enough to cover groceries and basic living expenses, but beyond that, every dollar spent is fully exposed to a 23% tax. For Black households already living paycheck to paycheck, striving for anything beyond survival will come at a steep price.
The numbers speak for themselves. Black America holds $1.8 trillion in spending power, yet only a mere two percent circulates within Black-owned businesses. The median Black household possesses just $24,100 in wealth, compared to $188,200 for white households—a gap driven not by income, but by ownership. Only thirty-four percent of Black households invest in the stock market, while sixty-one percent of white households do. In a system where spending is taxed and wealth is not, these statistics aren’t just data points—they’re a warning sign.
Read: President Trump’s Tax Cuts: What Do They Mean for Black America
But this isn’t the first time we’ve faced economic exclusion. After emancipation, when we were locked out of America’s financial systems, we built our own. From Black Wall Street in Tulsa to countless other self-sufficient Black communities, we proved that we could create thriving economies rooted in ownership, cooperation, and discipline when forced to rely on ourselves. We didn’t wait for government programs or corporate acceptance—we built, owned, and circulated our dollars.
Today, history is calling us to do it again. But this time, survival won’t come just from strategy—it must come from transforming our thinking. Economics can no longer be treated as a side conversation or something left to experts. It must become part of our faith, culture, and identity. Financial literacy should be taught in our homes, preached in our churches, and discussed in every corner of our community. Saving, investing, and supporting Black businesses must be viewed not as options but as obligations.
We must also stop looking to the Black elite for leadership in this fight. For decades, they’ve led us down a road paved with symbolism and personal gain, delivering speeches while delivering nothing for the masses. They’ve chased corporate seats and media visibility while leaving the people they claim to represent stuck in poverty and debt. When the FairTax takes effect, they won’t feel its weight, but every day Black families will.
Read Black Dollars, White Wealth: Why Our Spending Power Isn’t Building Our Future
The truth is simple. The FairTax Act will either force Black America to embrace economic independence, or it will expose the consequences of generations spent prioritizing consumption over ownership. If we continue to define success by what we wear, drive, or post online, this system will tax us into economic irrelevance. But if we return to the principles that once made our communities strong—discipline, cooperation, and a commitment to building—we can turn this challenge into a victory.
Booker T. Washington once said, “At the bottom of politics, even at the bottom of religion, there must be economic independence.” That wisdom is more relevant today than ever. Black America must decide: will we rise as owners, investors, and builders, or will we let a culture of spending and misguided leadership lead us to destruction?
We have done it before, and we can do it again—but only if we turn economics into faith, culture, and daily action before it’s too late.
The FairTax article is another piece of BS. The FairTax does not result in a 23% consumption tax increase. Currently, the Federal consumption tax is approximately 22%. This Federal consumption (hidden) tax goes away along with all income taxes. That makes the FairTax approximately 1% tax to get rid of all the receipts, paper work, accountants, income taxes, etc. Add in the prebate, then the actual tax may very well be negative from the current taxes.
Spot on. ALL goods and service (new and used goods) have hidden embedded passed through business taxes running from the seed to the land to harvest to the grain to the flour to the baker to the bagger to the wholesaler and retail. These pile up with FICA, personal income taxes, business income taxes mounded up through the entire chain of commerce. THEN ADD the compliance and avoidance costs. The FAIRtax eliminates these costs. Prices will drop over time. Then add in a monthly rebate starting each citizen taxpayer at a true 0% tax burden.
ALL Americans will benefit from removal of the regressive income/FICA payroll tax system. Research has shown that those spending the least or having the least to spend will benefit the most from FAIRtax HR25. No tax filing. Monthly rebate from a standard deduction type mechanism and no record keeping or reporting. The economy will flourish. Jobs and wages will grow. Learn how FAIRtax.org/about/how-fairtax-works
I see this article differently. Mr. Jones is off with respect to some of the details and paints an overly pessimistic picture on how the FAIRtax treats consumption. Since Mr. Jones is not a student of the FAIRtax, we must cut home some slack. Mr. Jones is spot on when he says “Saving, investing, and supporting Black businesses must be viewed not as options but as obligations.” People, including blacks, who follow this advice will benefit enormously under the FAIRtax.
Thank you for replying. I would love for you or a representative to come on one of our shows to talk about FAIRtax and how it works.
… we must cut him some slack. …