Tax Day Message: Fund People's Needs not Billionaires

 

As increasing wealth inequality makes it harder and harder for working class families to make ends meet, pressure is building at the state legislature to enact measures that increase spending on people's needs and gain revenue by taxing the rich.

The Legislature's Tax Equity Caucus addressed these needs at a press conference followed by a march with the Connecticut for All coalition to the Office of Policy and Management to make their point on Tax Day.

The Tax Equity Caucus initiated by Rep. Josh Elliot, aimed to inform the public and make sure that the leadership in the legislature is strong in their negotiations with Governor Ned Lamont, who has consistently opposed taxing wealth.

The Caucus stressed the need for comprehensive tax reform that holds the wealthiest individuals and large corporations accountable, insisting on policy changes that prioritize fairness, address growing economic disparities and send a clear message: it’s time for a tax system that works for everyone.

“Working families pay more than 30% of their income on rent and almost 40% of their income in taxes, while the top income tax bracket pays only 7.3% of their money in taxes,” explained Constanza Segovia, Organizing Director for Connecticut For All, “And then we have corporations like Amazon, the largest company in the world, with reported profits of over $10 billion in 2018 and an effective tax rate of -1%.”

Connecticut Citizens Action Group (CCAG) joined in the press conference and the march for tax equity that followed. CCAG and Americans for Tax Fairness (ATF) released a report that morning showing that the collective fortune of Connecticut’s 14 billionaires has grown by $33 billion, or 61%, since the Trump-GOP tax law was enacted in 2017. 

As Human Service Committee co-chairs Jillian Gilchrest and Matt Lesser pointed out in the report, “extending Trump’s tax breaks for oligarchs is doubly offensive because it means cutting critical healthcare and services for working families.”

Families in the top 5%, who make more than $320,000 a year, are the ones who will benefit from extending the 2017 federal tax cuts according to the Center on Budget Policies and Priorities.

The Trump-Republican Congress is seeking $880 billion in federal budget cuts to help pay for it, requiring that funds be slashed for Medicaid, special education, food stamps and other programs.

“We have ultra-wealthy residents who don’t just have the ability, but the responsibility, to pay their fair share of taxes,” said State Senator Gary Winfield, “Even if we didn’t have the threat from the Trump Administration, we would still have people outside of the Capitol demanding more because they are drowning and it’s our state policies that are failing them.”

The previous week, before a crowd of more than 800 residents gathered at Immanuel Congregational Church in Hartford, House Speaker Matt Ritter announced that legislative leaders are moving to suspend Connecticut’s restrictive fiscal guardrails.

The event, hosted by the Greater Hartford Interfaith Action Alliance (GHIAA) and Connecticut For All (CTFA), brought together faith, labor, and community leaders to demand bold public investments in education, housing, healthcare, and infrastructure—and to push back against the artificial austerity imposed by outdated budget constraints. This  announcement marked a major turning point in the fight for equitable investment in communities across the state, but is only a part of the solution that Connecticut needs.

Speaker Ritter’s commitment follows months of sustained grassroots advocacy and organizing led by CTFA and GHIAA, and their allies. While this development signals meaningful momentum, advocates emphasized that it must be the beginning—not the end—of bold fiscal action. With more than $2 billion in urgent needs across the state, residents cannot afford a “wait and see” approach. Suspending the guardrails is a critical step, but it must be followed by real investment in the programs and services that strengthen Connecticut’s communities.

“One job is no longer enough,” said Johannah Alabi, SEIU 1199 New England member and Certified Nursing Assistant at Avery Heights and Governor’s House, “I now work two full-time jobs, over 80 hours a week, just to make ends meet. Eighty hours a week, I work every single day. This was not my reality before, or even during the pandemic. Back then, my paycheck was enough to support my family. But now? My paycheck is not going as far as before, and I struggle to support my family. Five years later, we have become forgotten.”

“These services have been important to me and are vital to thousands of youth across the state,” said Elijah Hechevarria, a Youth Leader from Our Piece of the Pie and student at Manchester Community College, studying Social Work, “My life has transformed with OPP. Every youth at OPP has the opportunity to achieve their goals. Programs like this change young people’s lives.”

Calling for urgent action at the Tax Equity Caucus press conference Rep Josh Elliot emphasized “Our state cannot begin to address the crisis of need plaguing our communities without addressing our upside down tax structure. And despite the resounding popularity of tax fairness, Connecticut continues to give the ultra-wealthy a free pass while our working families are collapsing under the pressure. We must enact smart policies that support our investment needs through stable and equitable revenue streams.”