Eat, Drink, and Be Scary! Long Island Residents Join Empire State Voices for an Evening of Halloween Pints & Politics
The Evening’s Conversation Centered Around the Spookiest Topic Imaginable: TAX POLICY!
MERRICK, NEW YORK — Last night, local residents joined Empire State Voices for a Halloween-themed ‘Pints & Politics’ in Merrick, NY, with conversations centered around the controversial 2017 Republican Tax Law. But ghouls and ghosts weren’t the evening’s only fright, as Long Islanders attempted to answer rounds of trivia questions on the two spookiest topics: Halloween monsters and tax policy!
Local residents joined Empire State Voices for a Halloween-themed ‘Pints & Politics’ in Merrick, NY. | Credit: EMPIRE STATE VOICES
“The 2017 Republican Tax Law was sold to the American people as a rising tide that would lift all boats,” said Dylan Wheeler, NY-04 Regional Organizing Director for Empire State Voices, “but what we got were table scraps, while corporations and billionaires made off like kings. With many of these provisions set to expire next year, we need to take a moment to consider what our priorities are as a nation. Who should we be working to help: those who are working hard and struggling to put food on the table or those looking to buy their third yacht?”
“Tonight’s event was extremely eye-opening to the ways in which the Republican Tax Law really boosted the ultra-wealthy,” said Kara Gallagher, a resident of Seaford. “It even showed the insane ways we here on Long Island have lost money.”
“The Republican Tax [Law] gave huge tax breaks to the wealthy,” said Michael Baumgartner, a resident of Baldwin. “Tonight’s event illustrated the many other ways in which those here on Long Island were taken advantage of.”
Long Islanders attempted to answer rounds of trivia questions on the two spookiest topics: Halloween monsters and tax policy! | Credit: EMPIRE STATE VOICES
The 2017 Republican Tax Law was a massive giveaway to corporations and the ultra-rich. Republicans promised that the law would lower taxes for working Americans, but the vast majority of benefits went directly to millionaires and billionaires.
Under the law, the top 1% are currently on track to save an average of $60,000 in 2025, while the bottom 60% of earners will see savings of just $500. That means that, as a percentage of their income, the richest Americans will see more than triple the benefits that working people and families receive.
Meanwhile, corporations saw their tax rate slashed from 35% to just 21%, leading to record profits, executive bonuses, and stock buybacks to benefit shareholders. Despite claims that these savings would benefit workers, recent studies have found that while executive pay rose sharply, the bottom 90% of workers saw no change.
The vast majority of the Republican Tax Law’s benefits went directly to millionaires and billionaires. | Credit: EMPIRE STATE VOICES
To learn more about Empire State Voices, please reach out to press@empirestatevoices.org
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About Empire State Voices
Empire State Voices (ESV) is a multi-year campaign dedicated to amplifying the voices of everyday working New Yorkers. ESV is fighting for economic policies that make life more affordable for constituents and holding members of Congress across the state accountable when they fail to do the same.
