(Bronx, NY) - Yesterday, State Senator Gustavo Rivera spoke at a rally with U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders to join the call to tax the rich. Senator Rivera welcomed attendees to Lehman College in the Bronx alongside his Bronx colleagues, Assembly Member George Alvarez and City Council Members Pierina Sanchez and Althea Stevens. 

“I am incredibly grateful to Senator Bernie Sanders for joining us in The Bronx to amplify our call for revenue raising measures in the final budget that will make the ultra wealthy and corporations pay their fair share. Hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers are on the brink of losing health coverage because of Republicans in Washington. If we want to make New York affordable, we need to stop coddling the ultra-wealthy while leaving working class New Yorkers footing the bill,” said State Senator Gustavo Rivera.

U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders and New York State Senator Gustavo Rivera both spoke about the detrimental impact of HR 1 on Medicaid and basic healthcare coverage for working people in favor of tax breaks for the ultra wealthy.  

Senator Rivera spoke about two bills he sponsors that would increase taxes on the richest people in our state to make life more affordable for working class New Yorkers. The first proposal (S.1439), would create a new state tax on individuals earning high amounts of investment income, like profits from selling stocks or dividends also known as capital gains. A tax on capital gains for the top 1% in our state would raise $12 billion in a single year.

The second bill is the New York Health Act (S.3425), which would create a universal single payer healthcare system in the state of New York. If enacted, this proposal would make healthcare more affordable for 95% of New Yorkers with a tax based on ability to pay.