News & Updates

RELEASE: In Honor of TaxMarch, Activists Hold ‘Trump Chicken’ Event at Cobo

Over 100 Events Across the Country Will Shine a Light on Republican Tax Hikes on Middle-Class Families

DETROIT —Michigan Families for Economic Prosperity held a tax event at the Cobo Center on Sunday in advance of Tax Day to call on Congress to repeal the Trump Tax — a bill that rains down riches on wealthy stockholders at the expense of working families. The event was held in conjunction with over 100 other similar events taking place across the country.

The aim of the Tax March events is to shed light on the devastating repercussions of Republican tax breaks for millionaires, billionaires and wealthy corporations at the expense of working families.

The event at Cobo featured a large, inflatable “Trump Chicken” that hundreds of activists took photos with to send to their elected officials and share on social media with a simple message:

“Sunday was a great day to deliver our message to our elected officials to not be a chicken and stand up to Donald Trump and their corporate donors. Just like the inflatable ‘Trump chicken’, the GOP tax plan is full of hot air,” said Sam Inglot, deputy communications director at Progress Michigan. “CEOs are getting hundreds of billions of dollars in stock buybacks, while working families will see their health insurance rates go up and their futures put on the chopping block. This tax plan was not about increasing wages or benefits for working families. It was about enriching the wealthy.”

The fallout from the TrumpTax will be devastating, with The Tax Policy Center finding that 86 million middle-income families across America will pay more in taxes, while the richest 0.1 percent will get a nearly $150,000 tax break. Moreover, millions of Americans will see a 10 percent increase in health insurance premiums and our commitment to Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security will be undermined.

“We’ve seen a lot in Michigan that doesn’t help working families, like inadequate access to affordable childcare, attacks on Medicaid recipients, and attacks on reproductive healthcare. And now, women and working families must face even more obstacles because of the Trump Tax Plan,” said Danielle Atkinson, founder of Mothering Justice. “This backwards plan is the last thing women and families need when rising inequality has already proven harmful. We know this plan will raise costs for working families — 53 percent of them will see tax hikes once the plan is fully phased in and will result in fewer people having health insurance. On top of that, Republicans want to cut funding for Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security to pay for it.”