Dear John:
I’m emailing to ask you to donate $10 or any amount to our campaign to elect new, bold, progressive leadership to bring New York City through this crisis and into a better future. Here’s why:
Some of the wealthiest people and corporate leaders in NYC just issued a public letter decrying New York City’s dirty streets and declining public services.
And yet, at the very same time, they launched a multi-million dollar campaign to stop the state from raising taxes on… the wealthiest people and corporations in New York.
My colleague Mark Treyger rightly called that “chutzpah.” You can also call it downright cruel.
Millions of New York families are pleading for relief. Families are fighting to stave off looming eviction. Hundreds of thousands are standing in bread lines. Small businesses are trying to prevent further layoffs and pay rent. The city is reeling from cuts to education, affordable housing, and, yes, basic services like sanitation.
And still, ignoring the pain of working New Yorkers, the “Campaign for New York’s Future” wants to block state lawmakers from raising tax rates on millionaires, billionaires, and corporations.
To take New York City into the future, we need leaders who don’t take big checks from the ultra-wealthy -- and don’t take their orders either.
That’s why we’re running a grassroots, people-powered campaign for NYC Comptroller. Chip in $10 to keep us on track, and your gift will be matched $8-to-$1 by public financing →
I actually agree with the corporate titans on one thing -- we need a new vision to bring our city into the future, and Mayor de Blasio has failed to provide that so far.
So I’ve laid out my vision for a just and durable economy recovery that puts public health first, invests in a collective future of sustainability and resilience to create new green jobs, fosters innovation, and insists on a deeper commitment to equality and shared prosperity.
Taxing the ultra-rich must be part, but not all, of that broader plan. We need to reduce spending through attrition (and extend that hiring freeze to the NYPD), implement an early retirement program, and use this moment to implement smart new options for savings like a “pay-as-you-throw” plan to reduce the hundreds of millions we spend to dump solid waste in landfills.
And we need our federal government to stop playing games and provide the COVID-19 relief New Yorkers so urgently need.
The status quo, with too many NY politicians at the beck and call of the wealthiest people on the planet, has failed us again and again. We need new leadership -- and we have a big opportunity for change next year.
One proposal under consideration to help stave off massive cuts to public education would increase the tax rate on millionaires by just around 1%, and just 3% more for those who earn more than $100 million.
Another proposal, dubbed the “billionaire’s tax” would tax the unrealized capital gains of New York’s 120 billionaires. Advocates project that we could raise more than $5 billion from such a tax to help provide emergency survival funds for undocumented families who have been out of work and excluded from unemployment for the last six months.
The COVID-19 pandemic revealed the enormous chasm of New York’s income inequality for all to see. We need action that meets this historic moment.
(Besides, if ultra-wealthy New Yorkers can pay for an expensive lobbying campaign, they can pay a little bit more in taxes to fund schools and basic services!)
Every $1 you give will be matched by $8 in public financing -- chip in today to keep us on track →
Thank you so much -- please continue to stay safe,
-- Brad
