| For Immediate Release: March 5, 2009 |
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For More Information: Kathleen Campbell : 518.465.4600 x 115 518.221.8583 (c) |
Hundreds Rally for Fair Share Tax Reform on Steps of Capitol
State Senator Neil Breslin, Veterans, Parents, Caregivers, and Economists speak out against devastating cuts to essential services, education, and health care
ALBANY – Hundreds of community members and local leaders gathered on the Capitol steps on Thursday to urge Governor Paterson to meet New York’s budget shortfall by raising state income taxes on the wealthiest New Yorkers instead of slashing health care, education and other vital services. Their voices joined a chorus of tens of thousands who participated in 8 rallies across the state from Buffalo to Long Island.
The Governor has proposed to close a record state budget deficit by making more than $9 billion in devastating cuts to institutions and services that working families depend on: schools, colleges, hospitals, nursing homes, and organizations serving the most vulnerable New Yorkers. Citizens across the state are pushing back by calling for Fair Share Tax Reform, a plan to raise $6 billion to offset the deepest cuts by adding more progressive state income tax brackets for individuals earning $250,000 per year or more.
“As everyone here today knows, we are facing very challenging financial times,” said State Senator Neil Breslin, who represents the Capital District and has co-sponsored the Fair Share bill in the State Senate along with 21 of his colleagues. “We can no longer afford the income tax cuts that have allowed the wealthiest New Yorkers to pay the same rate as a nurse or librarian who makes $20,000 a year. If we’re going to preserve health care and education for our most vulnerable and for the next generation, we need Fair Share Tax Reform now,” Breslin added.
World War II veteran Edward Bloch highlighted the impact of the governor’s cuts on one particularly vulnerable group, homeless veterans. “Programs that provide housing for homeless veterans and other displaced people will see a 25% cut under this budget,” Bloch stated. “The governor is asking these men and women who have given so much to sacrifice even more so that the well-off don’t have to sacrifice at all. These just aren’t the right priorities,” he added.
Veronica Horne, a local Albany parent, spoke about the impact the cuts would have on students, “The Governor’s proposed $2.5 billion budget cut would do more than curtail spending. It would slash education funding by unheard of amounts, with an average per-classroom cut of $23,000 for Albany children. These extreme cuts in school aid will have a harsh impact on our children and will hinder the state’s economic recovery process. Governor Paterson talks about shared sacrifice, but so far it’s everyone except the wealthy who are making all the sacrifices.”
Justin Cunningham, Executive Director of New York StateWide Senior Action Council, said, “As Governor Paterson and the state legislature decide which vital support services will be taken away from the most vulnerable New Yorkers, its is only fair to question what sacrifices the wealthiest, least vulnerable New Yorkers will be required to make. This is why StateWide Senior Action Council endorses the Fair Share Tax Reform Act. In a time of shared crisis we must demand shared sacrifice.”
Erica Broussard, a radiology nurse from Orange Regional Medical Center in Middletown, addressed the devastating impact that cuts would have on the welfare of patients saying, “With health care already being cut $1 billion dollars in 2008, can we in the Capital Region afford to be cut $28 million more? As a caregiver, I have seen the results of cuts in the health care budget. It is important to understand that with budget cuts, quality of care becomes a serious concern.”
Ron Deutsch of New Yorkers for Fiscal Fairness, who emceed the event, told the crowd, “The wealthiest five percent of New Yorkers have seen their share of total income explode over the last two decades while 80% of working families have seen their share shrink. The wealthiest New Yorkers are now paying a much smaller percentage of their income in state and local taxes than the average working family. I believe the better choice to solve the state’s budget woes is to tax personal income over $250,000 at slightly higher rate, so that we ensure that everyone contributes to solving the budget crisis.”
Today’s rally is one of many across the state highlighting the severe impact of the governors proposed cuts and advocating Fair Share Tax Reform as a way to alleviate the worst of the cutbacks by creating truly shared sacrifice. Details on the Fair Share Tax Reform Campaign can be found at: www.fairsharereform.com or www.fightthecuts.org.
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