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'Tax the Rich,' Polls and Protesters Say

By DNAinfo Staff on October 17, 2011 1:29pm

"The rich should pay their fair share," Occupy Wall Street protester Alfredo Carrasquillo said Monday, October 17, 2011.
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DNAinfo/Jill Colvin

By Ben Fractenberg and Jill Colvin

DNAinfo Staff

MANHATTAN — New Yorkers want to tax the rich.

Two new polls out Monday showed wide support for collecting more cash from millionaires. That same day, dozens of Occupy Wall Street protesters and union leaders rallied at City Hall, pushing for a measure to do just that.

"We are the 99 percent!" the protesters chanted, many holding up giant, novelty-sized checks.

One of the polls, by the Sienna Research Institute, found that 72 percent of New Yorkers support the extension of the so-called ‘Millionaire’s Tax," which is set to expire at the end of the year.

“Voters give a resounding yes, 72-26 percent, to increasing taxes on New Yorkers earning more than $1 million a year,” said Sienna pollster Steven Greenberg.

Greenberg added that the tax has support across the political spectrum, being backed by 83 percent of Democrats, 70 percent of Independents and 55 percent of Republicans. He also said the tax is supported by three-quarters of New Yorkers earning less than $50,000 per year, and two-thirds of those earning more than $100,000.

Those sentiments were echoed by a new Quinnipiac poll, also out Monday, which found that city voters, including a majority of Republicans, support an extension of the tax by a margin of 61 percent to 28 percent.

In New York, a surcharge currently raises the top tax rate for individuals earning more than $200,000 from 6.85 percent to 7.85 percent, and to 8.97 percent for all filers earning more than $500,000.

But that surcharge is set to expire at the end of the year. Gov. Andrew Cuomo supports letting it die.

“I think you are kidding yourself if think you can be one of the highest taxed states in the nation, have a reputation for being anti-business and have a rosy economic future,” Cuomo commented Monday, according to the Daily News' Daily Politics blog.

“The fact that everybody wants it, that doesn’t mean all that much,” Cuomo added, responding to the poll results. “I represent the people, their opinion matters, but I am not going to go back and forth with the political winds.”

Dozens of Occupy Wall Street protesters and union leaders rallied at City Hall Monday to launch a new push for extending the tax, which they've dubbed "99 New York" in honor of the month-long anti-Wall Street movement, which aims to represent the interests of the so-called "99 percent" of American workers who aren't among the nation's top earners.

"Ninety nine percent of the world is saying, 'Enough is enough!'" Camille Rivera, executive director of UnitedNY, told the crowd.

While many have criticized the Wall Street protesters, who are camped out in Zuccotti Park, for failing to articulate a specific policy agenda, demonstrators said Monday that extending the tax on high-income earners is something everyone can support.

"The rich should pay their fair share," said Alfredo Carrasquillo, 27, a member of Vocal New York, who is from the Bronx, and said he's participated in numerous Occupy Wall Street events during recent weeks.

He said that supporting the Millionnaire's Tax is fast becoming "the first of many" policy points he hopes the diverse group can rally behind.

"I believe this is the first step in addressing what is wrong in this economny," he said. "We have a clear message. We know what we want."

United Federation of Teachers President Michael Mulgrew was among a handful of union leaders who addressed the crowd, and argued that extending the tax would provide crucial funding for the city that could prevent additional service cuts and layoffs, which hurt the middle class.

"We are the income disparity of the capitol of the United States," said Mulgrew.

Brooklyn resident Norman Frazier, 60, a retired porter who has also spent several days protesting at Occupy Wall Street, said that low-income Americans must unite or risk being trapped in poverty.

"We must stand together. Enough is enough," he said.

The tax expiration was also the target of Occupy Wall Street affiliated groups during a march to the homes of wealthy Upper East Siders last Tuesday.

Carrasquillo said he's been amazed to see the movement's growth since then.

"It's beautiful, man. But it's just the beginning," he said.