FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: HUNDREDS RALLY OUTSIDE HOCHUL’S OFFICE FOR TAXES ON THE RICH
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, April 30
Contact: ella@nycdsa.org, (929) 359-0917
Hundreds Rally With Elected Officials Outside Governor Hochul’s Manhattan Office Demanding Taxes on the Rich
Elected officials including State Senator Kristen Gonzalez, Assemblymember Diana Moreno, and Councilmembers Chi Ossé and Alexa Avilés urged the governor to make the ultra-rich pay their fair share in the final state budget
NEW YORK, NY – With the New York state budget nearly a month late, over 250 rallied with elected officials outside Governor Hochul’s office Thursday calling on her to deliver a budget that taxes the rich. Elected officials includingState Senator Kristen Gonzalez, Assemblymember Diana Moreno, and Councilmembers Chi Ossé and Alexa Avilés challenged the governor to listen to working-class New Yorkers instead of her rich donors. The action was backed by a broad coalition of community and labor organizations, including NYC-DSA, CAAV, CIR-SEIU, Communities Voices Heard, DRUM, Invest in Our New York, Jewish Voice for Peace, Jews for Racial and Economic Justice, New York Communities for Change, and Our Time.
The governor’s opposition to making the very wealthy pay what they owe is out of step with the majority of New Yorkers, unions, and political leaders at all levels of government. On Tuesday, City Council Speaker Julie Menin joined Mayor Zohran Mamdani to vocally support rolling back hedge-fund handouts by reducing the PTET tax credit. Unions representing over 300,000 members statewide signed a letter last week backing taxes on wealthy individuals and corporations. Polls consistently show that a majority of New York voters support taxes on the rich and hold Albany responsible for the cost-of-living crisis.
The wide coalition of organizations backing the rally vowed to continue mobilizing until Governor Hochul delivers a budget that funds New York’s future by taxing the rich.
“Working-class New Yorkers need answers now on how the state will defend them from Trump’s devastating cuts to essential services and address the state’s dire cost-of-living crisis,” said Batul Hassan, Co-Chair of the NYC-DSA Tax the Rich campaign. “We’re sending Governor Hochul a message that there’s a cost to her inaction. We’re going to keep showing up on her doorstep until this is over.”
“Gov. Hochul seems to think she can throw her constituents crumbs by proposing a pied-à-terre tax on luxury second homes in New York City — which business leaders are already trying to avoid paying — and call it a day. But her plan would fail to generate the billions in revenue needed to prevent New Yorkers from losing their food and healthcare assistance and to fund truly universal childcare statewide,” said Brahvan Ranga, campaign manager for Invest in Our New York. “In the words of Gov. Hochul: ‘When people think about affordability as just a sort of a branding word, these are real people’s lives, and it’s all about struggle. And they need to know that there’s someone who will fight like hell for them.’ The governor has an opportunity to deliver real affordability for New Yorkers by making the ultra-rich pay their fair share. Will she put her money where her mouth is, or cave to her billionaire donors?”
“We must make the wealthy and their corporations pay what they owe to our state. For too long, the richest New Yorkers have gotten away with tax breaks and workarounds. But working New Yorkers are paying attention. At the federal level, our taxes are being funneled into violence—from bombs launched into other countries to ICE kidnapping our neighbors in the street. We know where their priorities lie. We’re asking Kathy Hochul to show that her priorities lie with the people in our state—not the 1%,” said Councilmember Alexa Avilés.
“As this budget process continues to drag out, one conclusion has become inescapable: To fill our budget gap and fund essential programs, we have no choice but to tax the rich. Without new revenue, universal childcare will remain out of reach and the affordability crisis will only worsen. The Senate, the Assembly, and eleven labor unions all agree that we must pass my bill with Senator Kristen Gonzalez, the Corporate Fair Share Act, to tax our city’s wealthiest corporations and raise $1.75 billion for New York City. Governor Hochul, this is your chance to join us, protect New York’s working families, and secure an affordable future for everyone,” said New York State Assemblymember Diana Moreno.