The Oneida Daily Dispatch (Oneida, NY)
Protesters denounce federal tax bills
ONEIDA, N.Y. » More than 50 local residents held a rally outside Walmart in Oneida on Saturday to protest the tax bill currently being considered in the House of Representatives and the Senate.
The rally was sponsored by Indivisible Madison County and Indivisible Mohawk Valley. Brandishing signs that read “Not One Penny” and “Don’t Tax My Future”, event attendees said they would like to see the tax plan defeated when it comes up for a vote in the House.
“I find it inconceivable that Congress would pass a bill opposed by so many hard-working Americans,” said event organizer Judith Nicolson of Chittenango. “It’ll harm taxpayers in our area and the negative impact increases over the next decade. The bill Claudia Tenney voted for scraps important tax deductions we all depend on, and the Senate bill that was passed in the middle of the night raises taxes over time so everyone but the richest households will pay more. Why not give workers a real tax break, instead of handing our money over to business owners and the rich? Who do they represent?“
On Nov. 16, Tenney, R-22, voted for H.R. 1, the “Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.” The bill would place a cap on the amount taxpayers can deduct for their local property taxes and would eliminate the deduction for other state and local taxes.
If passed, many New Yorkers would be forced to pay additional federal taxes on much of the money they already pay in state and local taxes.
According to Congress’s own Joint Committee on Taxation, households with an income of $75,000 per year or less would, on average, face a tax increase under the Senate plan by 2027. The median household income for Madison County is $54,145 and the median household income for Oneida County is $48,246.
The House is expected to vote again on the tax legislation by the end of December. Event attendees are asking Tenney to put New Yorkers first and do everything she can to defeat the bill.