From Principle to Practice

Abstract

Abstract CARICOM (the intergovernmental body charged by Caribbean nations with pressing for reparations) has proposed a suite of reparative measures without specifying what monetary payments may be appropriate; this chapter seeks to answer the outstanding practical question typically posed at this point: ‘Who should pay what and to whom?’ In answer to ‘what?’ (or ‘how much?’) a starting point is provided by the sum of £20 million which the British government set aside as compensation to owners of enslaved persons. Using that £20 million as a basis, it is possible to arrive at a sum or range of sums for monetary reparations: £105–£250 billion. Such sums, though significant, need to be contextualized in relation to the UK’s national budget and wider finances, and as such are not wholly daunting. But who will pay? Whilst the bill, it is argued, should fall on the UK population as a whole (including recent immigrants), raising the sum via a one-off wealth tax would avoid the unfairness of the cost failing on the poor. And to the question to whom reparations should be paid, the answer is to the Caribbean nations, though perhaps to an institution with an international charter or status under the UN, to ensure that the money works for the good of those who most deserve it.