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The New York State Budget: One Down Two To Go
Entertainment unions share victory on the defeat of proposed entertainment tax!
New York State Governor David Patterson announced this week the withdrawal of a proposed tax which could have had potentially devastating effects on theatre and jazz club employment conditions. Local 802, Actors Equity, the IATSE and the Broadway League lobbied lawmakers to oppose the tax. There are still two very important items directly affecting musicians in this budget.
The first item deserving our attention is the proposed 20% cut to the New York State Council of the Arts budget. You can add your voice here to stop these cuts while saying thank you for working to defeat the entertainment taxes. Click here for the Assembly and here for the State Senate
The second item is a proposal to increase taxes on the wealthy to prevent cuts in health care, education and the arts. So far this  does not appear to be a solution to State Senate Democrats? Sounds wrong - right? It is. Click the Fair Share graphic to send a message to remind these good folks why they were put into office.
Fair Share Tax Reform will raise sorely needed revenue and reduce the magnitude of painful cuts to healthcare, education and other essential services like NYSCA that New Yorkers rely on every day.
A fair solution to the budget crisis will have to include cuts to popular programs -- but the wealthiest New Yorkers must also pitch in and shoulder a reasonable share of the burden. Working families should not bear the brunt of the budget crisis alone.
Fair Share Tax Reform would roll back tax cuts for the wealthiest New Yorkers. Over the last 30 years,New York has reduced income tax rates for the wealthiest New Yorkers by 50% and eliminated high income tax brackets, resulting in $8 billion of lost revenue each year.
As a result, working class families and the very rich pay now the same marginal tax rate - 6.85%.
10 Democrats in the NYS Senate are either on the fence or on the wrong side of this issue. Local 802 endorsed some of them because of, among other things, their commitment to the middle class. We need to keep their feet to the fire and make sure they honor their word!
They are:
Senator Brian FoleySenator Carl Kruger
Senator Jeffrey Klein
Senator Darrel Aubertine
Senator Craig Johnson
Senator Liz Krueger
Majority Leader Malcom Smith
Senator William Stachowski
Senator David Valesky Call your Senator and Senate Majority Leader Smith and tell them to pass Fair Share Tax Reform Bill (S. 2021) as part of the State Budget.
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It's Crazy That Musicians Don't Get Paid Royalties For "Terrestrial Radio"
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