Pay to Let US Go: Afrodescendants' Benefits and Costs to America

Pay to Let US Go is a monograph that explores the benefits provided and the costs imposed by Afrodescendants on the American society. Benefits and costs are analyzed in broad and narrow contexts. The focus is on benefits and costs to US governments: Federal, State, and Local. Estimates are prepared of the 2010 incomes earned and taxes paid by Afrodescendants, and of the costs imposed on governments through eight functional categories: General public service, Public order and safety, Economic affairs, Housing and community services, Health, Recreation and culture, Education, and Income Security. After comparing the taxes paid by Afrodescendants and the share of government expenditures that are made to meet their needs, we conclude that Afrodescendants impose an over $425 billion net fiscal burden on the American society. We project this fiscal imbalance out 25-to-50 years, and determine that this burden may be too much to bear. This outcome causes us to inquire about the timing of a rising tide of opposition to continued government support for Afrodescendants in America.