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NEW YORK, NY - On the southeast corner of Occupy Wall Street, among the protesters, sleeping bags, and news cameras, hundreds of people have stopped by a small "political action table" to add their name to the 72% of New Yorkers who oppose giving a $5 billion tax break to New York's millionaires and billionaires. More than 1,500 individuals have signed onto the No Tax Break for Millionaires pledge since October 6th, calling on Governor Cuomo to stop the massive windfall New York's wealthiest will receive when the current millionaire's tax expires on December 31st of this year.
The #OWS petition calls for "the adoption of the 'Buffett Rule' at the Federal level" and advocates that "no Millionaire or Billionaire pays less in taxes than someone making less than them." The expiration of New York's millionaire's tax will lead to a $5 billion hole in the budget, which will be closed with additional cuts to vital public services on which all New Yorkers rely. Volunteers say the emergency economic and fiscal crisis that led to the 2009 surcharge is still in place and perhaps even aggravated.
Support for stopping the millionaire's tax break is palpable in Zuccotti Park. "Ninety-five percent of the people who come up to the table sign at least one petition. We can hardly close up the table when we need to because people are grabbing flyers and petition clipboards away from us," says Amy Miller, a political activist and psychologist. "The level of engagement, the openness of the OWS crowd to engage with the political system, and the cohesive support for a millionaire's tax is obvious."
The petitions will be delivered to elected officials, including Governor Cuomo, this month. Signed copies are also posted atwww.occupywallstreetkit.com. In addition, the volunteers collected another 1,000 signatures against hydro-fracking and registered voters at the table. The petitions against hydro-fracking are in collaboration with a group called United For Action, dedicated to a ban on the dangerous form of gas drilling. The team that put together the Political Action Table, a group of friends, have also handed out over 3,000 flyers since October 2nd.
An extension of the soon-to-expire millionaire's tax was, for months, considered a dead issue. Governor Cuomo's most recent budget favored the wealthy and punished the 99 percent with brutal cuts to education, basic public services, and even assistance for homeless children. Since the birth of Occupy Wall Street, however, there has been massive pushback - including an October 11th march against the 1% (a walking tour of well-known millionaires' homes in the Upper East Side), a newly revitalized coalition of labor and community groups opposing the tax break called 99 New York, and a Siena poll from October 17 showing that 72% of New York voters support extending the tax on those making more than a million dollars a year.
"We've been telling people that the millionaire's tax, on both the federal and state level, is no substitute for across-the-board tax reform. Instead, these specific surcharges are immediate and feasible actions that, especially in the case of New York, will help to stop further cuts on people whose services, jobs, and general well-being have already been subjected to brutal cuts," said Kate Linker, a writer and political activist. "We only worked in the afternoon and early evening. Had we worked all day, there would likely be hundreds more signatures," Linker added.
Governor Cuomo recently compared his opposition to extending the tax to his father's opposition to the death penalty. While Governor Mario Cuomo fought a popular policy due to a moral imperative, Governor Andrew Cuomo is fighting for the millionare's tax either due to the disproved myth of tax flight or, even worse, a desire to please his biggest donors here in New York State. "Comparing State executions to popular calls for a more equitable society is apples and oranges," says Jamie Ansorge, a law student and political consultant active in reform efforts.
"Sitting here in Lower Manhattan, the movement has shown me that this resurgence of civic engagement can change the course of political events in New York," Democracy for New York City (DFNYC) president and table volunteer Josh Silverstein said.
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To volunteer for the Political Action Table, email Naomi at ows.table@gmail.com or sign up at www.occupywallstreetkit.com. You can also find templates for petitions and the final results of the effort on this site.
Volunteers at the Political Action Table are active across the city in other groups, including Greater NYC for Change, the Downstate Young Democrats, Democracy for New York City, United for Action, and the Strong Economy for All Coalition.
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