California Bill Would Create New Tax for Tobacco Products & Others to Fund Reparations

A new bill introduced in the California State Legislature would introduce a new tax on tobacco products—as well as gold, wine, rice and others—to fund reparation programs.

Assembly member Reginald Jones-Sawyer, D-Los Angeles, has introduced A.B. 3152. The bill would establish a Reparations Fund that would be used to fund qualified housing loans as well as educational training. According to the bill, these funds would be made available to “African American(s) with a special consideration for an African American who is a descendant of persons enslaved in the United States.”

To fund the program, a new tax would be introduced on a variety items, all of which have a connection to the American slave trade. The bill does not specify a specific tax rate, only listing out the items that would be subject to the tax:

• Gold bullion and gold coins
• Tangible personal property that is comprised, in whole or in part, of cotton
• A tobacco product
• Wine
• Olives
• Cane sugar and granulated sugar
• Rice
• Coffee beans

If passed, the new tax would go into effect on July 1, 2025.