Seventy-five volunteers distributed 4,800 “Tax the Rich” buttons and 6,500 “Tax the Rich” wallet cards, AFSCME reported.
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| Fairgoers read about the "Tax the Rich" campaign at the AFSCME kiosk. Photo courtesy of Council 5 |
According to the Minnesota Department of Revenue’s 2009 Tax Incidence Study, a wage-earner making $36,000 a year pays 12.8 percent of her income in taxes. But someone making $360,000 a year pays only 9.7 percent and the very wealthiest people in Minnesota – those over $500,000 a year – pay only 8.8 percent.
Today, the richest Minnesotans pay only two-thirds of their fair share of state and local taxes. If they paid their fair share, it would raise $4 billion every two years and help address a projected $5.8 billion shortfall in funding for public services, the union said.
Council 5 of AFSCME, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, represents 43,000 public and non-profit workers in Minnesota. The “Tax the Rich” kiosk was located at the State Fair Labor Pavilion sponsored by the Minnesota AFL-CIO.
For more information
Learn more at the Council 5 website.
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Seventy-five volunteers distributed 4,800 “Tax the Rich” buttons and 6,500 “Tax the Rich” wallet cards, AFSCME reported.
|
| Fairgoers read about the "Tax the Rich" campaign at the AFSCME kiosk.
Photo courtesy of Council 5 |
More than 700 people filled out cards describing their funding priorities if the rich paid their fair share of taxes. Services that were cited included early childhood and K-12 education, higher education, health care, General Assistance Medical Care, public housing, parks, community centers, libraries, public safety, environmental protections, property tax relief and many more.
According to the Minnesota Department of Revenue’s 2009 Tax Incidence Study, a wage-earner making $36,000 a year pays 12.8 percent of her income in taxes. But someone making $360,000 a year pays only 9.7 percent and the very wealthiest people in Minnesota – those over $500,000 a year – pay only 8.8 percent.
Today, the richest Minnesotans pay only two-thirds of their fair share of state and local taxes. If they paid their fair share, it would raise $4 billion every two years and help address a projected $5.8 billion shortfall in funding for public services, the union said.
Council 5 of AFSCME, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, represents 43,000 public and non-profit workers in Minnesota. The “Tax the Rich” kiosk was located at the State Fair Labor Pavilion sponsored by the Minnesota AFL-CIO.
For more information
Learn more at the Council 5 website.