WWW.QNS.COM RIDGEWOOD TIMES AUGUST 13, 2020 7
billionaires and create a worker bailout fund
“We have not received support
from any institution, our city and
state have failed us repeatedly,”
she said. “The suffering of workers
have been falling on deaf ears
of Governor Cuomo, our state and
government has repeatedly bailed
out corporations during economic
crises but have turned a blind eye
on workers who are at the cusp of
becoming homeless.”
There were several speakers and
chants to cancel rent throughout
the march, as well as music by NYC
Mariachi and dances by the Traditional
Indigenous Danza group who
wore colorful Chinelos de San Diego
garments as they led the march with
energetic twirls.
Cuomo said last week that the Billionaire’s
Tax bill is no good on the
basis that the federal government
had exacerbated the crisis in the
first place, and it’s not on anyone
but Washington to refill the coffers
of state and local government, not
billionaires.
When asked if there was a limit to
his opposition of taxing billionaires,
Cuomo told amNewYork Metro the
state would have to be under extreme
circumstances.
“If the legislation is not going to
help New York, you know what I say
to federal lawmakers? Don’t pass it,”
Cuomo said on Aug. 3. “One percent
of the population pays 40 percent of
taxes, and they’re the most mobile
people on the globe … That would
be a bad place we’d have to go to to
raise taxes.”
The governor says he is holding out
for another stimulus that would offer
financial relief to the decimated
budgets of cities and states, criticizing
the executive order signed by
President Donald Trump over the
weekend and over the last few weeks
deriding the HEALS Act.
The march ended in front of
LeFrak City Apartments complex,
where some members of MRNY,
New York Communities for Change
(NYCC) and New Immigrant Community
Empowerment (NICE) gave
speeches addressing Cuomo’s previous
comments on the tax.
“The rich are getting richer and
the poor are getting poorer, isn’t
that a shame,” said NYCC Chair Leroy
Johnson.
A recent study by Americans for
Tax Fairness found that 119 of the
state’s billionaires — of whom 113 are
U.S. citizens and six are foreign-born
with residence in the state — collectively
saw their wealth increase
$77.3 billion or by almost 15 percent
during the first three months of the
pandemic.
Ramos explained that the tax
they’re proposing would generate
about $5.5 billion, or approximately
$50 million per billionaire.
“That sounds like a lot of money
to us — because it is — but it’s not a
lot of money to them,” Ramos said.
“Richard LeFrak alone has made more
than $850 million over the past four
months. It’s a fraction of that. It’s like
asking them to go Dutch.”
De La Rosa, who is co-sponsoring
the bill in the Assembly, said once
the tax is imposed, they will be able
to create a worker bailout fund.
“We won’t rest until this bill
passes,” De La Rosa said. “When we
impose the tax, it’s important we
create a fund for workers, because
there’s always funds for corporations.
Corporations don’t eat, feel or
die — the people do.”
The event ended with the kids
having a go at a piñata that had a
photo of President Donald Trump
and Richard LeFrak, who supports
the president and is among the
nearly one in 10 U.S. billionaires who
have donated to his campaign.
Make the Road New York organized
the event and was joined by
Housing Justice for all Coalition,
Street Vendor Project, Woodside on
the Move, Adhikaar, among other
human rights groups. Assembly
members Catalina Cruz and Brian
Barnwell, Democratic candidate
for Jackson Heights State Assembly
Jessica González-Rojas and former
Queens district attorney candidate
Tiffany Cabán were also in
attendance.
With additional reporting by Mark
Hallum.
/WWW.QNS.COM
