Vowing to present the real facts about the “GOP Tax Scam,” a coalition of local progressive groups will gather for a peaceful and educational rally at Bicentennial Park in Geneva on Tuesday, August 14th, from 3:30-5:30 PM. Their purpose is to promote awareness of the economic damage done by the 2017 tax law, officially known as the “Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.” The public is invited to attend.
The organizers of the rally include Indivisible Seneca Falls, Citizens for a Better Southern Tier and the Geneva-based #ReedsLastTerm. The rally is a direct response to the “Tax Cuts Work” bus tour sponsored by the Job Creators Network, which has announced it will be making a stop in Geneva with an appearance by Congressman Reed.
Rachel Weil, of Indivisible Seneca Falls, emphasizes the need to present honest information about the effects of the new tax law. “Although its advocates claim that it will create jobs,” she notes, “the evidence shows that the benefits are skewed towards the very wealthy.” She cites statistics compiled by Americans for Tax Fairness, according to which only 5% of workers in New York state have received wage hikes or bonuses due to the tax cuts, and only 6 employers (out of a total of 462,660 employers in NY State) have announced new job-creating investments due to the tax cuts. Americans for Tax Fairness, she adds, “have calculated that New York’s richest 1% will get a tax cut averaging almost $30,000 per year, while people in the lower 60% of income brackets will average only $400 in savings from the 2017 tax law.”
Brien Ashdown, another rally organizer, is concerned about the $1.9 trillion federal deficit that the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office has predicted will result from the new tax law, and worries about threats to programs like Medicare, Medicaid and social security that this deficit will pose. He also notes the indirect costs that it poses for small businesses. “The new tax law means less federal money for roads and infrastructure, and higher costs for health insurance. Doesn’t that hurt small business in the end?” he asks.
The above is a republished press release from Indivisible Seneca Falls and was not written by FingerLakes1.com. Click here to submit press releases, community announcements, or news tips to the FingerLakes1.com team. Newsroom inquiries can be sent by clicking here.
