Liberal groups launch campaign to oppose tax cuts for the wealthy

A group of progressive organizations announced Thursday that they are launching a campaign to oppose tax cuts for wealthy individuals and corporations, as Republicans turn their focus to tax reform following the Senate’s failure to pass healthcare legislation.

The “Not One Penny” campaign will work to defeat tax proposals that reduce taxes for millionaires and large companies. The group has already launched a website where activists can pledge to oppose “any effort to cut taxes for the wealthy and well-connected,” and the campaign will also include a seven-figure ad buy in eight congressional districts, according to a news release.

Congressional Republicans and the White House are hoping to enact tax-reform legislation this year, and they want to cut tax rates across-the-board for individuals and businesses. A joint statement from key Republicans released last week said that “the goal is a plan that reduces tax rates as much as possible.”

{mosads}But the “Not One Penny” campaign is concerned that tax cuts for the wealthy will end up hurting Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. Groups involved in the campaign include Tax March, MoveOn, Stand Up America, Patriotic Millionaires and Americans for Tax Fairness.

“These organizations are coming together to ensure that President Trump and Congressional Republicans end their schemes to rig the tax system even further in favor of the wealthiest Americans and major corporations at the expense of working Americans,” said Tax March Executive Director Nicole Gill. “Instead of securing giveaways for the rich, we need to fight for a tax code that makes the economy work better for working families.”

During the healthcare debate, Democrats and liberal groups argued that Republicans’ plans to repeal and replace ObamaCare involved taking health insurance away from people in order to provide tax cuts for the rich. That message appeared to resonate with some GOP lawmakers since a revised version of the Senate’s repeal-and-replace plan kept two of ObamaCare’s taxes that apply to high earners.

“There should not be one penny in tax cuts for millionaires and corporations — they need to start paying their fair share,” said Frank Clemente, executive director of Americans for Tax Fairness. “This is the healthcare fight all over again — and we won’t stop fighting until every penny in Medicaid, Social Security, Medicare, and public education is protected. We will unite Americans in every state and congressional district against these unfair tax cuts, and we will win.”