[ No longer should a handful of billionaires be able to rig the
rules to redirect resources from our communities to their country
clubs, from our classrooms to their ballrooms, and from our public
parks to their private jets.]
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STATE LEGISLATORS CAN FINALLY MAKE BILLIONAIRES PAY WHAT THEY OWE  
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Jessie Ulibarri and Kristen Crowell
February 14, 2023
Common Dreams
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_ No longer should a handful of billionaires be able to rig the rules
to redirect resources from our communities to their country clubs,
from our classrooms to their ballrooms, and from our public parks to
their private jets. _

Occupy Portland rally on October 6, 2011, Photo by badlyricpolice

 

For decades, billionaires have rigged the rules in their favor at the
state and federal level to avoid paying what they owe in taxes while
working people have paid the price. With the active support of
politicians who depend on them to fund their campaigns, the rich just
keep getting richer. During the Covid-19 pandemic alone, the world’s
ten richest men vastly expanded their fortunes to $1.5 trillion by
gouging prices, taking advantage of a global crisis, and denying fair
wages to workers.

Last month, state legislators and grassroots organizations from eight
states banded together to say “enough” and launched the first-ever
multi-state effort to pass wealth tax bills across the country, and
foster a fair shake economy where all families from all backgrounds
have the freedom to thrive. In California, Connecticut, Hawaii,
Illinois, Minnesota, New York, Maryland, and Washington, they
introduced legislation to finally make billionaires pay what they owe
toward making healthcare, education, and many other essential needs
accessible to all of us. We’re now calling on lawmakers in the
remaining 42 states to join this nationwide effort and do the same in
their own legislatures. No longer should a handful of billionaires be
able to rig the rules to redirect resources from our communities to
their country clubs, from our classrooms to their ballrooms, and from
our public parks to their private jets.

We’re seeing the results of rising income inequality every single
day — in overcrowded classrooms, car-sized potholes on our streets,
a healthcare system that puts people in debt at the most difficult
times of their lives, and communities that have become unlivable due
to rising costs and generations of underinvestment. The solution to
this is obvious: unrig the rules and tax the ultrarich. But with
Congress in gridlock, states must assume the responsibility of putting
a check on billionaires and wealthy corporations.

Make no mistake: this collective effort cannot and will not stop at
eight states.

Through the Fund Our Future [[link removed]] campaign
spearheaded by our two organizations — SiX Action and the State
Revenue Alliance [[link removed]] — state
lawmakers, advocates, and grassroots organizers have been working
together for over a year to establish a first-of-its kind network of
tax justice leaders, build public support and political power for
wealth taxes, and introduce legislation that will best address the
unique needs of their communities.

This community-led wealth tax effort will help alleviate deep
inequalities from coast to coast. Today, in Washington state,
low-income households currently pay six times more in taxes compared
to high-income households. California, where more billionaires reside
than any other state in the country, faces the starkest homelessness
crisis of any state, with affordable housing becoming farther out of
range for many of the state’s residents. In Hawaii, the extreme
effects of tourism have placed a deep strain on public services and
the economy for decades, threatening the livelihoods of people living
on the islands. Meanwhile in New York, the state with the highest
income inequality in the nation, residents struggle to pay their
heating bills in the winter while the ultra-wealthy buy and sell
apartments to the tune of tens of millions. Wealth taxes in these
states would tip the scales and raise billions of dollars to reinvest
right where it’s needed the most: in our communities, in our
schools, on our roads, towards our healthcare system, and so much
more.

There is no justifiable barrier to these bills becoming law. A vast
majority of voters across the country and political spectrum say they
support tax increases on the ultra-wealthy. According to new polling,
this includes 67 percent of voters in Washington, 68 percent in
California, 70 percent in Connecticut, 75 percent in New York, 74
percent in Maryland, among other states. In all eight states, the same
party controls both chambers of the state legislatures as well as the
Governor’s mansion. We know that people across this country want the
ultra-rich to pay what they owe and legislators in the majority have
the power to make that a reality.

Make no mistake: this collective effort cannot and will not stop at
eight states. Our communities depend on this campaign being replicated
in every single state across the nation and we’re ready to work hand
in hand with all legislators and voters alike who wish to join us in
this movement.

_Jessie Ulibarri is co-executive director of SiX Action.  Kristen
Crowell is the executive director of the State Revenue Alliance._

* tax the rich
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* state legislatures
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