They can afford it and it's the right thing to do
“We are here to demand that lawmakers tax the rich,” said
emcee Alisha Pina, director of Rhode Island Interfaith
Coalition to Reduce Poverty. “We are here today because we know Rhode
Island needs more revenue. We are here today because most of us are not
thriving; we are struggling paycheck to paycheck. We know that tax fairness and
more revenue from the 1% will bring in more money that we all need. Rhode
Island can take care of itself, and we do that by doing it together. We know
that federal cuts will be on the order of $400 million for fiscal year 2028, so
the money found a few weeks ago is not enough. What we need is tax fairness,
and tax fairness means taxing the top 1% to bring in more money for all of us
and to address the inequities we see every day in education, housing, and
healthcare.
“We need money for childcare, the unhoused, RIPTA, and
healthcare. Every session, we tell our legislators the same thing: It is your
moral obligation to help all of us, not just some of us. To think that the
budget that’s going to be announced tomorrow may not include any millionaires
or 1% tax ... It’s not fair, logical, or good for Rhode Island. We’re here to
demand what we need. Listen to your taxpayers. We’re the ones who elect you,
and yet you make decisions that are against what we want. That’s why we’re here
today.”
“In April 1978, martyr and Saint Óscar Romero wrote,
‘A church that doesn’t provoke any crisis, a gospel that doesn’t unsettle, a
word of God that doesn’t get under anyone’s skin, a word of God that doesn’t
touch the real sin of the society in which it is being proclaimed -- what
gospel is that?’2 The original column was written for an
archdiocesan newspaper in response to secular attacks from the Salvadorian
oligarchy, corrupt and fraudulent leadership supported by the U.S. government,”
said Jeremy Langill, Executive Minister of the Rhode Island
State Council of Churches. “Romero had been accused of being a communist,
but like many inspired by liberation theology and the reality that the gospels
compelled action, he continued to insist that his care and support for the
rights of the poor were a matter of faith.
“But Saint Romero is not the only leader who understood the
Christian call to action. Karl Barth, arguably
the most preeminent Protestant theologian of the 20th century, wrote that the
churches have injured the cause of the gospel by the way they have identified
the gospel with the badly planned and ineptly guided cause of the West. Bart,
too, was responding to claims that he was a crypto-communist because of his
consistent critique of the attempt to identify Christian faith post World War
II with the economic and political systems of the United States. His commentary
was theological. It was grounded in the gospel. It could not be assimilated
into market forces that prioritized profits over people.
“Friends, a marginal tax rate on the top 1% is, to speak
simply, a no-brainer. It’s a no-brainer because it does not even get close to
addressing the deep structural inequities that drive our dystopian and immoral
economic reality. It merely addresses a symptom, the excessive accumulation of
wealth by a handful of people. As a minister of the gospel of Christ, I already
know what Jesus thinks about wealth. The gospels go straight to the heart of
the matter: ‘The first shall be last, and the last shall be first.’ (Matthew
20:16) It is a teaching that comes just after the parable of the workers in the
vineyard, where the manager paid every employee equally, regardless of the
number of hours they worked.
“If we are not yet prepared to take courageous action to transform the economic realities that grind up our fellow human beings, then let us at least take the smallest steps to address the impacts. Pass this tax to stabilize our budgets so we can get to work creating economic systems that support and build true community.
“I am here today because I truly love my job,” said Kaitlyn Stewart, a conflict-free case manager for the Department of Behavioral Healthcare, Developmental Disabilities and Hospitals, and a member of SEIU Local 580. “I work with adults with developmental disabilities. My role exists because, for too long, systems have failed to value people as human beings with the right to choose where they live, how they live, and what they want their lives to look like. Today, our job is to help restore those people’s voices.
“I grew up in the child welfare system, so I know what it
feels like to lose autonomy and control over your own life. This is why this
work matters so deeply to me. I once worked with a mother whose son had Down
syndrome. After he got lost in public one day, she became terrified that he
could never live independently. Over time, we worked through that fear, and
eventually she began to believe he could one day have his own apartment and
future. Hope changes lives.
“But hope alone is not enough when systems are overwhelmed.
Every day, workers like us are carrying impossible cases. We’re trying to hold
together systems that are already stretched beyond their limits. These are not
just budget numbers on paper. These decisions affect whether real people
receive services, remain safe, and can live with dignity. While people love to
stereotype state workers as overpaid and underworked, the reality is that many
of us are drowning. I am the highest-paid staff member for my position, and I
still need a roommate to afford my bills. I have coworkers with master’s
degrees and clinical licenses working three or four jobs to survive. People are
leaving public service because they cannot afford to stay. When experienced
workers leave, the people who suffer most are the vulnerable individuals who
depend on these services every day. This is why this revenue bill matters.
“This is about protecting services, preventing burnout,
retaining experienced workers, fighting for longevity pay, and making the Rule
of 90 a reality, so frontline workers can retire with dignity
after dedicating their lives to caring for others. We are asking the wealthiest
in the state to pay their fair share, because working people cannot keep
carrying the burden alone while the systems people rely on are falling apart. A
society should be judged by how it treats the people who need the most support.
Right now, Rhode Island has a choice: Invest in people or keep asking exhausted
workers and vulnerable families to carry the cost alone.”
“The RI AFL-CIO is a federation of unions
representing over 80,000 members in the state of Rhode Island. We represent
teachers, social workers, healthcare professionals, painters, carpenters, bus
drivers, sanitation workers, security guards, and so many vital services in
Rhode Island that we, as people who work for a living, rely on every single
day,” said Autumn Guillotte, RI AFL-CIO political director. “We are
people who work for a living. I think everyone here has to work for a living,
and while we, the workers, are suffering, there’s a class among us that is
enjoying a huge tax break this year. Our members and workers rely on Medicaid,
SNAP, and bus lines to work. We’re seeing gas prices soar. We have parents
sending their children to overcrowded classrooms in crumbling buildings, and
teachers doing their best, using their own paychecks, to pay for pencils,
paper, and basic supports for their students. With social workers, they’re
doing everything they can when the system is telling them that they don’t
matter.
“We have patients and healthcare workers alike who are
facing a crumbling system with no answer in sight, but there is an answer: We
need revenue. We need to tax the rich. This is not just about what we need,
it’s about what’s fair. All of our members, every one of us, from the bottom
20% through to the middle, are paying a higher percentage of our income in
taxes than the wealthiest among us. I don’t think that’s fair. So this is the
year. If there’s any year to do it, it’s this year. This is the year we’re
going to get it done. Tax the rich.”
“This is the moment during the legislative session when I become of two minds. I go from wondering whether our leaders will do the right thing for democracy, justice, and economic opportunity to wondering whether all the long nights, organizing, providing data, hours spent waiting to testify, whipping votes, and overwhelming public support would be for naught,” said Weayonnoh Nelson-Davies, executive director of the Economic Progress Institute. “But, no matter what, I never get discouraged. Because if you don’t know this about me, I am a fighter for justice, and I know that when we keep fighting and showing up as all of you have done for many years, we will be victorious.
“Right now, decisions are being made or may be concluded
about whose voices matter, and which future this state is willing to fight for.
We have not yet received confirmation that the top 1% bill will be included in
the budget tomorrow, so we have shown up today to fight and demand that it be
included to raise revenue.
“Some of the fear-mongering, threats, and lies have shifted
from ‘all the rich people will leave if we dare ask them to pay the fair share’
and ‘mom and shop owners who cannot afford to make their basic needs are
miraculously part of the top one percent’ have shifted to, ‘Pause, lawmakers.
Wait a little bit, lawmakers. Why don’t you study our concentration of wealth a
little bit more? Why don’t you study our tax breaks a little bit more and wait?
This is not the time,’ even though the top 1% are currently enjoying an average
tax break of almost $59,000 while more than 10,000 Rhode Islanders have already
lost healthcare support due to the expiration of federal subsidies, and while
that is happening, they are telling the rest of us to take a chill pill.
“While our lawmakers are making decisions behind closed
doors, the rest of us cannot afford to take a chill pill. We cannot wait for
the devastating cuts to healthcare and food assistance from HR1. We cannot
afford to wait for cuts and lack of investments that will hurt children,
seniors, people with disabilities, working families, and small business owners.
We cannot afford to wait when families are drowning in housing, utility, and
childcare costs. We cannot afford to wait, as RIPTA riders are seeing services
disappear.
“Opponents to this bill are asking lawmakers to believe that
asking the wealthiest Rhode Islanders to contribute more will destroy our
economy. I beg to differ. They said the same thing in Massachusetts. And what
actually happened? Massachusetts raised billions more than expected from its
recent tax. Their economy has not collapsed. The sky has not fallen. They have
made three billion dollars in new revenue and invested that in transportation,
education, and free school meals.
“The wealthy, despite what they told you, did not flee,
because if they did, where did that three billion dollars come from? Someone
was paying, and it was the top 1% who still live in Massachusetts. The only
thing that happened was that the state decided that its children, working
people, and economy matter, and it knows that trickle-down economics was not
the solution. Raising revenue was the solution, and it worked.
“Our message today is, “Lawmakers, do not tell us that there
is no money for healthcare, childcare, housing, and food assistance, and then
protect the wealth of the top 1%, refuse to raise revenue, and refuse to invest
in your people. You cannot have it both ways.
“To all of you here, do not leave this rally and then go
quiet. I want you to say it with me: Call them!
- Call
the Speaker: (401) 222-2466
- Call
the House Majority Leader: (401) 222-1723
- Call
the Senate President: (401) 222-4901
- Call
the Senate Majority Leader: (401) 276-5579
“I want you to call all of them. Then please call other
legislators, email them, visit their offices, go to the floor, and let them
know that we will not back down. If the revenue bill is included in tomorrow’s
budget, you can call them again to thank them. Let them know that Rhode
Islanders and voters are paying attention. Tomorrow, we will know whether our
leaders have been paying attention to the needs of our state and its people,
and to what the majority of us want. Call them.”
“The Chamber of Commerce does not speak for the needs of our
community,” said Representative David Morales. “The wealthy, paid
lobbyists representing their wealthy clients, do not speak for the needs of our
community. It is the union organizers who are on the ground. It is the
frontline staff members supporting our kids day in and day out in the form of
RIPTA bus drivers, teachers, and caregivers who speak for our community.
“We have made it clear, year after year, that now is the
time to tax the rich, to ensure that the top 1% in our state are finally paying
their fair share, because what we have right now are countless school districts
in Rhode Island that are facing a budget deficit. RIPTA is debating how to
maximize services with limited funding. Caseloads for child care workers at
DCYF continue to escalate. All of these are issues that can be resolved with
proper investments if and when the funding is available.
“This is why we say this has become a matter of moral
values: whether we, as a state, are willing to make the bold move and demand
more from those who can afford it and from those who are often political
insiders. Do we have the courage to stand up to them and to say that they
should be doing more to support our neighbors? The answer is yes. We should be
demanding more. Because let’s be clear: This is a movement that started over a
decade ago.
“Over a decade ago, under a Republican governor, they
allowed for the top 1% in our state to see massive tax cuts. When those massive
tax cuts hit, back in 2009, we saw billions of dollars in lost revenue, and as
a result, Medicaid got cut. As a result, RIPTA funding stagnated. Our public
schools did not receive the revenue they should have annually, and now, in
2026, we are paying the price. Our neighbors are feeling the pain.
“This has to be the year that we have a state budget that
rights those wrongs from over a decade ago, and to make sure that the top 1% is
finally paying their fair share. This is a movement fueled by a diverse
coalition made up of think tanks, unions, the community, and members who care
about one another.
“I am ready to see what the state budget incorporates
tomorrow, and let’s be absolutely clear: The fight will not stop if the 1% tax
on the rich bill is not incorporated. We have to make sure we continue to apply
pressure and call on our political leaders until we take a vote to pass the
budget. The fight will not end tomorrow night. Tomorrow, we will wait and see
what the budget contains, and we need to be clear, as a coalition, that a
millionaire’s tax is not enough. We need to tax the 1%. We need to ensure that
the wealthy pay their fair share, because only then will we have the
investments our communities deserve.”
“I want you guys to look around at who’s here right now, because I know why a lot of people aren’t here: because we decided not to fund RIPTA, and some people can’t afford to stay on a bus for over an hour to get where they need to go,” said Senator Tiara Mack. “I’m angry that those people can’t be here because they had to pick up extra shifts to afford their grocery bills this month and every month since November, when SNAP faced devastating cuts. I’m angry they can’t be here because now families who are already struggling to afford their rent, utility bills, and other necessities like healthcare are even more burdened. That they have to make sacrifices, and that means they can’t have their voice heard in the places it matters.
“I want you guys to take that anger into the State House. I
want you to make sure that elected leaders know that no matter what the bad
think tanks say, whether or not we have a budget surplus this year, Rhode
Island needs more revenue. It is the role of the people inside that building to
recognize that the richest Rhode Islanders, because of Trump’s billionaire
handout, now save almost $59,000 at the federal level. That money can be
reinvested to ensure RIPTA goes corner to corner on a better schedule for every
Rhode Islander, to build more housing to meet the needs of every Rhode
Islander, and into a state SNAP program to make sure that no one in our state
goes hungry.
“I want you guys to remember who is not here and why they
are not able to be here. I want you to remember that when you take it to the
Senate and House floor, and when you remember to call people tomorrow, we don’t
just need a millionaire’s tax. We need to make sure we’re building revenue so
that more Rhode Islanders can show up where the power is and where decisions
are made.”
“As we are all very well aware, Rhode Island is facing
significant fiscal pressure, particularly after the passage of HR1, the
so-called big beautiful bill,” said Senator Melissa Murray. “The
passage of HR1 will cost Rhode Island $400 million in federal funding by 2028,
including cuts to Medicaid, affordable care subsidies, lost premiums due to the
doubling of healthcare premiums and SNAP, and mandatory cuts to hospital
provider taxes. The budget proposal and this year’s budget are a step in the
right direction, but they are not enough to mitigate the devastating changes
that are coming down the line for us. Our proposal would raise $203 million in
new revenue and would affect approximately 6,100 filers. We are simply asking
those folks to pay their fair share.
“We have heard from the opposition that this proposition
will hurt businesses, and small businesses will be on the hook. This is simply
untrue. High-income earners and the organizations that support them are trying
to persuade you that all business owners are the same. While they may claim to
represent all businesses and try to characterize them as mom-and-pop shops,
they are mainly promoting the priorities of large multinational corporations
and their owners, not the state’s tens of thousands of micro and genuinely
small business owners and family-run businesses.
“Most Rhode Island small business owners are not
millionaires living off of wealth. They are the people in our community who
reinvest their earnings back into payroll, rent, and utilities: your barber,
hairstylist, and favorite breakfast place. Contrary to what the opposition is
trying to lead us to believe, these businesses will not be affected by this
bill. The data show that the vast majority of Rhode Island small- and
microbusiness owners are not top 1% earners.
“This tax is based on someone’s ability to pay. It is not a
punishment or a burden; it is a reasonable, fair, and affordable contribution
from those who can afford it. We have heard from the opposition about the lack
of competitiveness. I would agree with that. I would also say that education,
infrastructure, and public safety affect the business climate, but when we
raise revenue to invest in these areas, people are then attracted here to open
their businesses.
“And of course, we have all heard the millionaire flight
myth. The opposition insists that millionaires will flee the state if asked to
pay their fair share. So-called interstate tax migration is vastly overblown.
15 to 20 major academic studies on state income taxes and the economy found
targeted income tax increases have little to no economic effects. IRS data
support this. And by the way, nine out of 10 households leaving Massachusetts
since they enacted their millionaire tax had incomes under $200,000. This is
reality. These are the facts.
“I spoke earlier about how HR1 will cut $400 million in
funding, putting massive burdens on already struggling Rhode Islanders.
However, the tax cuts for the top 1% quantified in HR1 will save the average
top 1%er nearly $60,000 in taxes every year. Folks in this state who make the
least amount of money pay a larger percentage of overall taxes than the top 1%.
“I implore my colleagues in the General Assembly to not just consider the effects on the top 1%, but to consider the effects on the 99% of their constituents, the folks that they interact with every single day: the seniors who have to decide whether they’re going to purchase medicine or buy groceries, the folks that are worried about being priced out of their homes, the small business owners and sole proprietors who have to take on second jobs just to be able to afford their healthcare premiums because they have doubled, and the parents worrying about how they’re going to afford daycare. They are the 99%; we are the 99%; and neither they nor we should have to shoulder the burden for the entire state.”
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1 Organizations and coalitions that support the proposal to Tax the Top One Percent:
- ACLU
of RI
- AFL-CIO
of Rhode Island
- A.H.B.
Enterprises LLC
- Alliance
of RI Southeast Asians (ARISE)
- Alliance
to Mobilize Our Resistance (AMOR)
- Black
Lives Matter RI PAC
- Carpenters
Local 330
- Center
for Youth & Community Leadership in Education (CYCLE)
- Coalition
of Labor Union Women RI
- Commission
for Health Advocacy and Equity CHAE
- Direct
Action for Rights and Equality (DARE)
- Economic
Progress Institute
- Harrison
Law Associates
- Housing
Network of Rhode Island
- IFTPE
Local 400
- Immigrant
Coalition of Rhode Island
- Inner
Wingspan LLC
- Latino
Policy Institute
- Like
No Udder
- National
Education Association Rhode Island (NEARI)
- Planned
Parenthood Votes! of RI
- Parents
Leading for Educational Equity (PLEE)
- Progreso
Latino
- Protect
Our Healthcare Coalition
- Providence
Central Labor Council
- Rhody
Craft
- RI
Association for Infant Mental Health
- RI
Black Business Association (RIBBA)
- RI
Center for Justice
- RI
Coalition Against Domestic Violence
- RI
Coalition for Children and Families
- RI
Coalition for the Homeless
- RI
Council of Churches
- RI
Federation of Teachers and Health Professionals (HPRIFT)
- Right
from the Start Coalition
- RI
Interfaith Coalition to Reduce Poverty
- RI
Kids Count
- RI
National Organization for Women
- RI
Parent Information Network (RIPIN)
- RI
Working Families Power
- Save
RIPTA Coalition
- SEIU
1199NE
- SEIU
Local 580
- SEIU
State Council
- Senior
Agenda Coalition of RI
- Sista
Fire
- UNITE
HERE Local 26
- URI
American Association of University Professors (AAUP)
- Women’s
Fund of RI
- Workforce
Alliance
2 Romero continued:
“Very nice, pious considerations that don’t bother anyone, that’s the way many
would like preaching to be. Those preachers who avoid every thorny matter so as
not to be harassed, so as not to have conflicts and difficulties, do not light
up the world they live in.” See: Violence
of Love here.
