Early Saturday morning, we saw passage in the US Senate of the tax overhaul legislation that poses significant threats to people with disabilities, and the provider organizations that support them. As the process now moves to a reconciliation with the US House of Representatives, we ask you to call your member of Congress and ask them not to support any tax overhaul legislation that includes any of the following provisions currently found in either the House or Senate bills:
The changes to state and local taxes would have a potential impact on New York of as much as $18B, according to Governor Cuomo. New York obtains significant funding from these taxes for services for New Yorkers with disabilities.
The addition of up to $1.5 trillion to the national debt may be used to justify future cuts in Medicaid, Medicare, or Social Security, which are the main federal programs that support people with disabilities. This includes the potential elimination of vocational rehabilitation funding and the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, which support people with disabilities to be contributing, tax-paying members of our communities. See Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation (CSAVR) Letter linked here.
The changes proposed to the charitable tax deduction reduce the ability of nonprofit disability service providers to fund important services for people with disabilities
As the only other federal support for Medicaid long term services and supports, the House passed legislation removing the medical expense deduction could put significant strain on the Medicaid program that serves hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers with disabilities.
The changes to the unrelated business income tax (UBIT) impact the ability of nonprofit providers and their associations to maintain limited but important revenues necessary for continuing to operate in the future.
The House legislation’s elimination of tax breaks on bond financing could significantly undermine the financing for affordable housing for people with disabilities.
Please take 5 minutes to call your member of Congress (see Washington, D.C. Office telephone numbers below) and utilize your social media accounts to register your opposition to the tax overhaul legislation before reconciliation voting begins and it’s too late.
LONG ISLAND
Rep. Lee Zeldin
202-225-3826
Rep. Peter King
202-225-7896
Rep. Tom Suozzi
202-225-3355
Rep. Kathleen Rice
202-225-5516
STATEN ISLAND
Rep. Dan Donovan
202-225-3371
UPPER HUDSON VALLEY
Rep. John Faso
202-225-5614
NORTH COUNTRY
Rep. Elise Stefanik
202-225-4611
BINGHAMTON
Rep. Claudia Tenney
202-225-3665
FINGER LAKES REGION
Rep. Tom Reed
202-225-3161
SYRACUSE
Rep. John Katko
202-225-3701
WESTERN NY
Rep. Chris Collins
202-225-5265
New York Alliance for Inclusion & Innovation
240 Washington Avenue Extension, Suite 501, Albany, NY 12203
