Anti-Poverty Groups Urge Gov

Anti-Poverty Groups Urge Gov. Paterson to Support Hike in Welfare Grant, Millionaire’s Tax

Anti-poverty and faith organizations today urged Governor David Paterson to stand up for low-income New Yorkers in the 2008-09 state budget.

The groups called upon the Governor to support the first welfare grant hike in 18 years. Welfare benefits now come to less than 50% of the federal poverty level. The Assembly Democrats have proposed raising the basic welfare grant by 30% over three years. The Senate Democrats have proposed a first year grant hike of 25%. Paterson has indicated support for a welfare grant hike in the past.

Groups such as the Hunger Action Network have also been calling upon Paterson to support making wealthy New Yorkers pay their fair share of taxes. The poorest New Yorkers now pay twice as much of their income for state and local taxes as do wealthy New Yorkers like Donald Trump. A new poll by Quinnipiac University shows the public supports the Assembly proposal to raise by 1% the top personal income tax rate on millionaires by 77% to 19%.

"It is immoral that in the richest nation, New York leads in the growing gap between the poor and rich. Nothing illustrates that gap better than the decline in value of welfare benefits to only half of the federal poverty level. No industrial democracy fails children more than the United States,” stated Rev. Debra Jameson, Community Minister of the FOCUS Churches of Albany. The statewide Faith and Hunger Network has been one of the coalitions speaking out on the need to raise the welfare grant.

"Every week in our congregations we see a terrible loss of hope among those who depend on the State for the necessities of life. Slowly but surely, New York's inadequate support for the poor and the marginalized has developed into a social crisis. Today, the New York State Constitutional mandate to support the poor is no longer being met. The Jewish, Christian and Islamic traditions speak for the dignity of people in poverty in God’s sight. Our traditions insist that it is society’s responsibility to address and alleviate such inequities, and we as a state are failing," added Jameson.

"The state budget is about our choices and our lawmakers have chosen for too long to keep poor children and their families in abject poverty. For too long we have balanced the state budget on the backs of the poorest and most vulnerable. We trust that Governor Paterson will change that. While we were heartened to hear the Governor refer to the poor and homeless in his inauguration statement, the proof of his commitment to help the poor starts with the budget," stated Mark Dunlea, Executive Director of the Hunger Action Network.

"A major factor in the state’s budget deficit is the huge tax cuts given to the wealthy during the Pataki era,” noted Dunlea. “Rather than cutting or delaying needed investments in the people of our state, a better solution would be for Governor Paterson to embrace the proposal by the State Assembly to make the wealthy pay a little more of their fair share of the tax burden."