Friend,

From Mark Zuckerberg to Sean Parker and Peter Thiel, California is home to
the most billionaires in the nation.(1)

And today, Tax Day, while you and I will be checking to ensure we filed
our taxes correctly, chances are they won’t be paying a dime in income
tax, thanks to a series of tax loopholes exploited by the outrageously
wealthy.

Absurd, right?!

So on this Tax Day, we’re joining with more than a dozen other
organizations to send our loudest message yet calling on Congress to side
with working people and pass critical tax reform that will force the
mega-rich and giant corporations to finally pay their fair share.

[ [link removed] ]Sign the petition today demanding Congress pass the tax laws we
desperately need to get the 1% and corporations to pay their fair share.

[ [link removed] ]SIGN ON NOW

Federal taxes fund our critical infrastructure -- like highways and
hospitals. In fact, federal funding makes up one-third of California’s
state budget.(2)

Everyday Californians contribute $1 of every $8 in federal taxes paid in
the US.(3) Meanwhile, billionaires and their corporate cronies in our
state have turned tax dodging into an art, by pushing sympathetic federal
legislators to create a series of loopholes that allow them to pay next to
nothing in taxes while continuing to benefit from the things our taxes
fund.

For example, under the current tax code, you and I pay income taxes on our
paychecks. However, the ultra-wealthy, who generally make their money from
wealth gains and loans taken out against stock market investments, don’t
have to pay a cent until they sell the stock. And if they pass the gains
along to their children, the income simply disappears in the eyes of the
tax code.

Similarly, corporations that have raked in record profits over the past
five years have paid, on average, 14% in taxes -- far below the 21%
required by law and less than the average family pays.(4) What’s even more
outrageous is that 23 of the largest high-earning corporations paid no
taxes at all last year -- some even get returns from the government!(5)

So instead of Medicare for All or universal pre-K or other sorely-needed
programs, our nation sees our wealth gap grow larger and larger.

[ [link removed] ]Every American must pay their fair share: Join us in demanding that
Congress reform the tax code now!

Wealth inequality in America continues to skyrocket, with the 1% holding
$44 trillion in wealth.(6) At the same time, corporate bottom lines have
boomed over the past five years, with the largest corporations seeing
their profits rise by 63%.(7)

No one needs this kind of money, and yet Trump and the Republicans are
already proposing another tax cut for the rich. If they win in 2024, their
cuts would cost taxpayers $4.2 trillion over ten years.(8) And the biggest
beneficiaries of this tax cut? You guessed it: The 1%.(9)

[ [link removed] ]We need a tax system that works for all. Sign the petition today
demanding that Congress sides with us, not the 1% and Big Business.

Yours in the fight for equity,

–Irene, Annie, Angela, Isidra, Mario, Marvin, Alyssa, Jen, and Lindsay
(the Courage team)

[ [link removed] ]SUPPORT THIS CAMPAIGN

Footnote:
1. [link removed]
2.
[link removed]
3.
[link removed]
4.
[link removed]
5. [link removed]
6.
[link removed]
7.
[link removed]
8. [link removed]
9.
[link removed]



*****************************************************************


Courage California (formerly Courage Campaign) makes sure our democracy works for ALL of us by fighting corruption in California politics. We believe the solution lies in exposing and solving systemic problems through strategic organizing, enhancing coordination between progressive organizations, and mobilizing civic engagement from our communities, particularly voters of color, young voters, and self-identified progressives.

[link removed]

?t=1003


You can unsubscribe from this mailing list at any time:
[link removed]