FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Kirstin Snow, Communications Director, snow@pennpolicy.org
RELEASE: 12-Foot “Fat Cat” Greets Lawmakers as Advocates, Legislators, and National Leaders Call for Fair Taxes on Tax Day
Day-Long Events Highlight Pennsylvania’s “Upside-Down” Tax System and the Cost to Working Families
Harrisburg, PA — On Wednesday, April 15 (Tax Day), the Pennsylvania Policy Center highlighted a newly released analysis of revenue and tax fairness in Pennsylvania’s proposed budget and convened legislators, national leaders, and advocates for a series of tax day events at the state Capitol, calling for a fairer tax system and a responsible budget.
The Pennsylvania House has taken a step forward by passing a budget bill, reflecting growing recognition that new revenue will be needed, including raising the minimum wage and closing the Delaware loophole.
However, the analysis finds the current budget proposal still relies on a $4.6 billion transfer from the Rainy Day Fund, while failing to raise sustainable funding from multimillionaires, billionaires, and multinational corporations, leaving the Commonwealth’s long-term revenue challenges unresolved.
(L-R: Rep. Tarah Probst; Kristen Crowell, Executive Director, Families Over Billionaires; Felicity A. Williams, Esq., Executive Director, Pennsylvania Policy Center; Justin Schein, Filmmaker, Death & Taxes; Rep. Jim Haddock)
(L-R: Rep. Eddie Pashinski; Rep. Elizabeth Fiedler; Rep. Kyle Donahue; Rep. Izzy Smith-Wade-El; Rep. Darisha Parker; Felicity A. Williams, Esq., Executive Director, Pennsylvania Policy Center; Dwayne Heisler, Director of Campaigns, Pennsylvania Policy Center; Rep. Chris Rabb; Kristen Crowell, Executive Director, Families Over Billionaires; Justin Schein, Filmmaker, Death & Taxes)
Events included a press conference in the East Wing Rotunda, participation from national and state speakers, and a visual action on the Capitol steps featuring “Mr. Riggs,” a 12-foot inflatable fat cat, symbolizing the outsized influence of billionaire tax breaks and how Pennsylvania’s current tax structure shifts costs onto working families and small businesses.
QUOTES
Felicity Williams, Executive Director, Pennsylvania Policy Center:
“While families are being told there is never enough money for healthcare, schools, or transit, Pennsylvania’s 23 billionaires have grown their wealth by $32.6 billion. That’s not just wealth growth—it’s a system that asks more of people who work for a living while allowing extraordinary wealth at the top to go largely untouched. Pennsylvania doesn’t have a spending problem, we have a revenue crisis. And we are seeing the consequences of that right now. If new, substantive revenue streams aren’t realized, the question is simple: what are we going to cut—healthcare, schools, or transit? Someone always pays—and it should not keep being hard-working Pennsylvanians. This is not just about balancing a budget. It’s about whether we raise revenue in a way that is fair, modernize our tax code, and require multimillionaires, billionaires, and multinational corporations pay their fair share so every Pennsylvanian has the chance to do more than just get by, but to truly thrive.”
Kristen Crowell, Executive Director, Families Over Billionaires:
“Pennsylvanians work hard, play by the rules, and pay their taxes, but they’re getting less and less back every year while billionaires and corporations use loopholes to pay a lower effective tax rate than a teacher. That’s not a tax system. That’s a scam. And we’re here to change it,” said Kristen Crowell, Executive Director of Families over Billionaires.
EVENT DETAILS
Legislative Breakfast Mixer
Time: 8:00 – 9:00 AM
Location: 60 East Wing
Featured:
- Kristin Crowell, Executive Director, Families Over Billionaires
- Justin Schein, Director of the film Death & Taxes
Details: Informal conversations with legislators, advocates, and policy experts on Pennsylvania’s tax structure, budget outlook, and solutions to raise sustainable revenue.
Press Conference
Time: 9:15 – 9:45 AM
Location: East Wing Rotunda
Speakers Included:
- Kristen Crowell, Executive Director, Families Over Billionaires
- Rep. Kyle Mullins
- Rep. Nikki Rivera
- Rep. Chris Rabb
- Rep. Elizabeth Fiedler
- Felicity A. Williams, Esq., Executive Director, Pennsylvania Policy Center
- Dwayne Heisler, Campaign Director, Pennsylvania Policy Center
Evening Film Screening and Panel Discussion: Death & Taxes
Time: 7:00 – 9:00 PM
Location: Midtown Cinema, 250 Reily Street, Harrisburg
Panelists include:
- Justin Schein, Director of the film, Death & Taxes
- Kimeka Campbell, Affordable PA
- Karen Showalter, MomsRising
- Dwayne Heisler, Campaign Director, Pennsylvania Policy Center
WHY THIS MATTERS
As the cost of living continues to rise, and federal decisions are increasingly shifting financial pressures onto state budgets and households, Pennsylvania is facing a growing revenue crisis.
Without sustainable new revenue, the costs of underinvestment do not disappear—they are shifted onto working families through higher local taxes, increased fees, and underfunded schools, healthcare, transit, and other essential services.
Speakers called for a tax system where multimillionaires, billionaires, and multinational corporations pay their fair share, and revenue supports investments in core services.
ABOUT THE CAMPAIGN
These events are part of Pennsylvanians Together: For Our Common Wealth, a statewide campaign advancing tax fairness and an economy that works for all of us—not just the wealthy few.
VIDEO/PHOTOS
- View a video of the press conference here.
(Volunteers with Mr. Riggs, the 12-foot fat cat)