Ocean State Action celebrates
2nd Annual Health Care Policy Heroes!
Please Join Us to Honor
State Representative Ray Sullivan,
SEIU 1199,
and Nancy St. Germain
Guest Speakers to include:
Margarida Jorge, National Field Director for Health Care for America Now (HCAN), formerly of SEIU, AFSCME,
and Missouri ProVote
Jeff Blum, Executive Director of USAction
Monday, June 21st, 2010, 6PM - 8PM
Local 121, Providence
Get your tickets here.
Tell Congress: Protect Consumers and Hold the Big Wall Street Banks Accountable!
Call Senator Jack Reed Toll Free TODAY at 1-866-544-7573.
Tell Senator Reed to support financial reform that holds big Wall Street Banks accountable.
Historic health reform has passed! The bill is a victory for the American people:
- Insurance companies can no longer deny care for pre-existing conditions, charge you more if you’re sick, cap your benefits, sell you junk insurance, or raise rates with impunity.
- For the first time, Members of Congress will get their health insurance from the same system regular Americans do.
- Small business and working families will security and stability knowing they can afford good health insurance that meets their needs.
- 32 million uninsured Americans will get affordable coverage, saving over 30,000 lives per year.
Read an op-ed from a Rhode Island emergency physician explaining why we need reform.
Now write your own!
- Health Care Policy Heroes
- Flat Tax Repeal
- Finance Reform
- Health Care Reform
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 Here are a few specific ideas to restore critically needed state revenues. These proposals would impact a small number of Rhode Islanders with incomes well above $250,000 to the benefit of a majority of Rhode Islanders:
- Eliminate the Expensive Flat Tax. $23.4 million this year was given to 4,384 individuals, 2,500 of whom do not live in Rhode Island . All of these individuals earn more than $336,550 per year. The rational is that these households build jobs in Rhode Island . This is debatable. What isn't debatable is that re-building our economy depends on the ability of low- and moderate- income families to spend locally. In these tough times, we can't afford the flat tax.
- Treat Shorter-Term Capital Gains as Regular Income. Profits made from the sale of capital held for one to five years are taxed significantly less than regular income. Massachusetts taxes these same gains at 12%, a rate 7% higher than Rhode Island . By taxing this profit like wages or salaries, you could ensure as much as $15 million in new revenue for the 2010 FY Budget.
- Restore a Fair 5% Tax on Long-Term Capital Gains. Unlike our neighbors in Massachusetts who tax long-term gains at 5.3%, Rhode Island's capital gains tax was cut to 1.67% last year. Even in these hard economic times, the cost of the cut in Capital Gains taxes is estimated at $30 - $39 million. 81% of all Capital Gains are earned by those with incomes above $520,585 per year.
Combined, just these solutions could add as much as $77.4 million in revenue -- not enough to close the state's huge deficit -- but when combined with support from the Federal government, targeted spending cuts, and real leadership -- a start in the effort to re-invest in our families and our future as a state.
You can be a part of achieving a fair solution! Click here to sign up for the Campaign for RI's Priorities issue updates and email alerts.
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Visit the Rhode Island Policy Reporter at What Cheer! for up-to-date policy analysis and reports.
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