NEW YORK, New York — On March 24, New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D-NY) was accompanied by labor leaders, elected officials, and working New Yorkers in a rally to urge state lawmakers to further expand the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Child Tax Credit.
Mayor Adams had previously advocated for and secured the EITC expansion in last year’s budget. The expansion resulted in a significant increase in tax benefits for single parents with one child and married couples with two children. For instance, a single parent with an income of $14,750 saw their tax benefit increase from $181 to $905 — representing a 400 percent increase. Meanwhile, a married couple with an income of $25,000 saw their New York City benefit increase from $299 to $897 — a 200 percent increase under the city payment.
Adams: ‘What this fight is about’
“If you are an undocumented person and you walk into a supermarket and you pay tax on [a piece] of bread, no one is asking you, ‘Where’s your documentation?’ We should not be asking people their Social Security number for those benefits that are coming from their tax dollars. That’s what this fight is about,” Adams said.
During the rally, Adams expressed gratitude to Manny, Rich, and Candis, as well as Albany lawmakers and City Council representatives for their efforts in advancing the working people agenda in the city.
“I cannot thank our Albany lawmakers enough, and the City Council representatives who are here, they heard the working people agenda and they were clear last year when we delivered on some of the most significant things that would impact working people so much,” Adams said.
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He also acknowledged various unions and their contributions towards improving the lives of workers, including those in the private sector, emphasizing that the fight to increase the minimum wage and other benefits was not just for union members, but would also “impact those outside their membership.”
“The Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit are lifelines to so many New Yorkers,” said Mayor Adams. “That’s why we were proud to fight alongside our colleagues in Albany last year to push for an expansion of the EITC for the first time in 20 years and to get more funding for child care. And we’re not stopping there — the ‘Working People’s Agenda’ that we’re rallying for today will bring fairer wages, better benefits, and a better quality of life to working New Yorkers.”
The mayor highlighted the importance of tax credits, such as the Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit, in lifting families out of poverty. He argued that people should not be asked for their Social Security number to receive these benefits, as it is their tax dollars that fund them. Mayor Adams commended Albany lawmakers for their efforts in increasing the Earned Income Tax Credit, childcare dollars, and funding for fair futures and foster care programs.
Henry Garrido, the Executive Director of District Council 37 who was in attendance at the event, emphasized the “importance of quality child care as an essential service for working parents throughout the city.”
Garrido also noted that the expansion of the Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit (EITC) is not only good public policy but also a means to invest in and protect one of the city’s most vulnerable populations: children.
Adams: ‘[This] helps everyone who was involved’
Mayor Adams also underscored the need to focus on lifting working people out of poverty, building affordable housing, improving education, and ensuring safety.
“People get lost sometimes on the fights that you have that goes beyond just your membership. Your battle to increase the minimum wage had nothing to do only with your memberships, it helped everyone who was involved,” he said.
Adams also stressed that working people should have a unified agenda that is pushed forward in all chambers of the City Council and Albany. The mayor ended by expressing his pride in working with Albany and City Council colleagues to lift working people out of poverty and build a city for the working class.
Watch the full video of the event here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vd0-s9GXSv8
