ALBANY, N.Y. Dec. 19, 2017 — New York State United Teachers today blasted the Republicans’ tax bill as a giveaway to the wealthy and big corporations that will be paid for by the poor and middle class, and through cuts to the public services they rely on.
NYSUT President Andy Pallotta said, “As income inequality worsens, there is no rational justification for massive tax cuts that flow almost entirely to the super-wealthy and big corporations. The Tax Policy Center has concluded that, by 2027, 83 percent of the benefits from this disastrous tax bill will flow to the richest 1 percent of Americans and big corporations. Rubbing salt in the wound is the targeting of ‘blue’ states like New York that invest heavily in public education and public services that help the middle class. The elimination of the so-called SALT deduction will have a crippling effect on teachers, firefighters, nurses and other middle-class New Yorkers who are likely to see their taxes go up over the next few years, while at the same time triggering unacceptable federal cuts to Medicaid, Social Security and education. I promise you, those Republican members of New York’s House delegation who voted ‘yes’ will be haunted by their decision come November.”
New York State United Teachers is a statewide union with more than 600,000 members in education, human services and health care. NYSUT is affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers, the National Education Association and the AFL-CIO.