Today is Tax Day, which means many of us have spent the past few weeks looking over paperwork, tracking down our expenses, and ensuring that everything is up-to-date. I hope your tax season has gone smoothly.
Hi friends,
Today is Tax Day, which means many of us have spent the past few weeks looking over paperwork, tracking down our expenses, and ensuring that everything is up-to-date. I hope your tax season has gone smoothly.
Friends, I want to take this opportunity to talk a little bit about our tax system, how it’s failing the middle class, and what I’m doing to reform it. It may not be the most riveting email you get today, but our tax system has real impacts on the day-to-day lives of this community.
We all know that changes to our tax system are long overdue. In 2021 alone, Amazon was able to avoid $5.2 billion in corporate federal income taxes – all done legally.
The wealthiest Americans and large corporations benefit from a huge number of tax loopholes, while working class Americans have always had to pay their fair share (and then some!) Not only does this contribute to increasing wealth inequality, but it also means that our budget deficit continues to grow – threatening funding for programs that benefit all of us, from healthcare programs to housing assistance.
This isn’t right, and I’m fighting to reform this system so that it works for all of us.
So when Republicans passed a tax bill prioritizing billionaires and pushing the tax burden onto the 86% of middle class families, I spoke out in fierce opposition. And throughout my time in Congress, I’ve voted for a minimum tax rate on millionaires and an increase in the estate tax.
Our economic system has enabled the wealthy to amass millions, but it needs to empower working class Americans.
Thanks for reading, friends. I welcome you to share your thoughts and experiences on this issue by replying directly to this email.
–Yvette D. Clarke
Yvette Clarke is the ONLY Black woman representing New York in Washington. She has a known track record of bringing together moderates and progressives to pass progressive legislation to help communities of color, low-income families, immigrants, and more. If you'd like only the most important updates, you can opt for fewer emails here, but if you don't want to keep Yvette proudly representing Brooklyn, you can unsubscribe.
