FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: January 29, 2025
Contact: Erica Freeman, Deputy Communications Director, freeman@pennpolicy.org
Pennsylvania Organizations Demand Congress Reject More Tax Breaks for the Wealthy, Announce Major Tax Advocacy Campaign in Pennsylvania to Fight for Pennsylvanians’ Priorities
Harrisburg, PA—Today, Pennsylvania state-based organizations sent a letter to Pennsylvania’s congressional delegation, calling on them to stand against tax cuts for the wealthiest individuals and corporations as part of the upcoming federal tax debate in 2025. Representing more than 200,000 people, the diverse group emphasized the failures of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) and signaled they are ready to fight together in a joint demand for Congress and our state legislature to prioritize a fair tax code that supports Pennsylvania families.
Read the letter to the Pennsylvania congressional delegation here: https://pennpolicy.org/pennsylvania-organizations-opposed-to-medicaid-snap-cuts-and-tax-cuts-for-the-ultra-rich/.
“Pennsylvanians are struggling with many problems, including rising costs for groceries, childcare, and healthcare. They are not asking for more tax giveaways to billionaires and mega-corporations,” said Marc Stier, executive director of Pennsylvanians Together, the campaign that organized this effort. Congress should focus on what matters to working people and families. It should not give a costly tax cut to the wealthiest Americans.”
The 2017 tax law primarily benefited the rich and large corporations, leaving us behind. Key findings include:
- The top 1% of earners saw after-tax income gains nearly three times larger than those in the bottom 60%.
- 80% of the corporate tax cut benefits went to the wealthiest 10%, while most workers’ wages remained flat.
- The corporate tax rate was slashed from 35% to 21%, lower than the marginal tax rate that many Pennsylvania workers pay.
“We have seen time and again that tax cuts don’t trickle down to working people,” said Dwayne Heisler, campaign director for Pennsylvanians Together. “The 2017 tax cuts didn’t deliver more investment, faster economic growth or higher wages. Instead, CEOs and shareholders did well while leaving most in Pennsylvania with higher costs and fewer resources. The decision Congress makes in the next few months will show whether our elected leaders are on the side of the people or the powerful.”
State Groups Organizing Advocacy Efforts for State and Federal Tax Policy
With key provisions of the 2017 tax law set to expire, and with important needs for more education, work-force development and infrastructure spending in Pennsylvania, many of the organizations listed have pledged to work together to ensure Congress and Pennsylvania make the most of the chance to make the tax code fairer and more effective. The state organizations urged lawmakers to reject further tax cuts for the wealthy and to instead:
- Make the tax code fairer by ensuring the rich and large corporations pay their fair share.
- Invest in workers and families, and grow the economy—child care, education, health care, and the clean energy transition.
- Avoid a fiscal crisis in states by rejecting cuts to federal education, health, and safety spending that funds state programs that address the well-being of Pennsylvanians.
- Focus on fiscal responsibility by not adding to the deficit or national debt through new giveaways for the wealthy.
“Cutting taxes for the wealthiest households and corporations isn’t just unfair—it’s bad for our economy,” said Stier. “These policies widen inequality, grow the deficit, and prevent meaningful investments in the programs and infrastructure that help working families thrive.”
Also, funding these tax cuts for the rich will almost guarantee cuts to vital programs that Pennsylvanians rely on. Republican members of Congress have floated the idea of paying for an extension of the TCJA by reducing federal expenditures for Medicaid, CHIP, and SNAP. Pennsylvania voters, like voters in other states, strongly support these programs, and with good reason. Medicaid provides critical support for millions of Pennsylvanians.
Polling shows that voters across the political spectrum oppose tax breaks for the wealthy. A recent survey found that 76% of Pennsylvania voters are estimated to believe corporations pay too little in taxes, including a majority of low- and middle-income Republican voters. “We in Pennsylvania are united like never before in support of fair taxes that pay for the public investments we need to flourish today and into the future,” said Stier.
For more information, please contact
Marc Stier
Executive Director
Pennsylvania Policy Center
stier@pennpolicy.org
215-880-6142