NY State is in a financial crisis. The money has to come from somewhere - either the middle class and poor or the wealthy. We've already seen the state raise revenue for the general fund by seizing the SUNY tuition increase money - money that students with little or no income have borrowed and will be paying back for decades. UB Law students each made an $841.50 contribution to NY this semester alone.
Households making $20,000 per year and households making $1million per year are paying taxes at the same rate. $20,000 per year in the equivalent of a $9.61/hr - that's not a living wage in Buffalo (let alone downstate) even if your employer is providing health insurance. We basically have a flat income tax in NY, which is outrageously regressive. This has happened piecemeal over the last 40 years as the wealthy have seen their tax rates cut again and again.
That is why we need Fair Share Tax Reform. There is a rally Thursday, March 5.
Time: 4-5:30
Location: True Bethel Baptist Church (Buffalo, NY)
907 East Ferry Street
Buffalo, NY 14211
Join union members, community groups, non-profit organizations and more to speak out against the dangerous budget proposals now being considered in Albany.
For more info, call 716-855-1522 ext.1, or 716-748-5363
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
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2 comments:
From what I read on the NY Dept of Revenue site there are 7 tax brackets in NY with the highest being for incomes $500,001+
Please explain your claims about households and paying taxes at the same rate.
Also, more than 5.3 Billion people live on less than $20k/yr according to UN data. What is your basis of determination for what is a living wage?
The law school is heavily subsidized with taxpayer funds yet you make it sound like law students are subsidizing tax payers.
Daniel,
You are incorrect about the tax brackets and I sent you a link to the correct information.
A living wage is determined city to city and is the amount required to live at a determined quality of life.
Law students are subsidizing tax payers. Law schools are generate a lot of revenue and have small overhead, unlike many other programs. The tuition hike was a tax levied on students in an effort to keep people with high incomes from paying their fair share.
Your sister,
Rebecca
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