Albany, NY—In response to the current budget shortfall, Rosemary Rivera, Co-Executive Director of Citizen Action of New York, has issued the following statement:
“It’s hard to take Cuomo’s budget concerns seriously after he worked to negotiate over $2 billion in tax breaks for Amazon. New York is one of the wealthiest states in the wealthiest country. We have the means to ensure that every family has what they need to thrive. But for too long, giant corporations and Wall Street CEOs have used their influence in Albany to avoid paying their fair share in taxes.
“Governor Cuomo and our elected leaders must recapture the tax breaks awarded to billionaires through the Trump tax scam, establish a true millionaires’ tax, eliminate the carried interest loophole, place a fee on carbon pollution, and reform the state’s deeply flawed economic development program.
“This self-imposed budget shortfall is not an excuse for the chronic underfunding of our public schools, child care, and public transportation.”
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