Residents Seeing Red Over Proposed Migrant Tax

New York taxpayers are reeling over calls by "Socialists" in the legislature to impose a new Migrant Tax to pay for the 110,000 immigrants that were welcomed to the state under their sanctuary policies.
"Imposing new taxes on legal citizens to pay for the mess they created by opening the doors to illegal immigrants is absurd," said Senator Dean Murray (R-East Patchogue). "Everywhere you turn, they're reaching into our pockets, and I have to tell you, people have had enough," said Murray, who referred to the legislators calling for the new tax as Socialists. "Whenever there's any problem, financially, their first instinct is to tax."
"We should increase taxes because it's economically just policy to offset all costs for our state to function," said state Sen. Julia Salazar (D-Brooklyn) in proposing the new tax, which she pegged at 5%. "I'd say that even if our city and state hadn't seen an increase in migrants seeking asylum, this moment makes it all the more important for the wealthy to pay their fair share of taxes," she said.
The tax fever comes after Mayor Adams declared that the
migrant crisis will cost taxpayers more than $12 billion over the next two years, a situation he said will "destroy" New York City. To help cover the services required by the 113,000 migrants he invited to the city, Adams ordered city agencies to slash their budgets by 5% and get ready to cut spending up to 15%. The cuts will affect all city departments, including fire and police services in a city that's experiencing a crime wave due to cashless bail and defund the police policies espoused by Adams and his Democrat colleagues.
“Good God, how much more of this are we expected to take?” asked Maurice Skelton, a construction company owner from Stony Brook. “They’ve practically killed us off, and now want to add insult to the ultimate injury of forcing us to pay even more for the mess they created. Where do they think all these migrants are going to work? Who’s going to pay them? If they’re all supported by the government, there will be nobody left to pay the taxes.”
"They never stop with the taxing and spending," said Assemblyman Joseph DeStefano (R-Medford). "And just when you thought they would come to their senses and maybe do something to slow down the record number of hard- working residents leaving this
state because of the crime wave and the tax burden, they want a new tax to give money to people who have come here illegally and have limited prospects to pay these taxes. Sadly, the costs will be passed on to those who haven't yet bailed out of this Vampire State."
"You're paying more at the pump, you're paying more at the grocery store, commuter taxes, toll increases, higher interest costs; you're going to get hit with congestion pricing," Senator Murray pointed out. "People are very tired of it," he said, predicting a Red Wave of voters turning their backs on the Democrats in November and voting Republican.
"The legislators who are proposing this tax obviously don't come from Nassau and Suffolk counties because the people who live here do not think we should pay for the migrants since the federal government has decided to open our borders to everyone and anyone who wants to come here," said Brookhaven Supervisor Edward Romaine. "This is wrong, wrong, wrong. I oppose such a tax as Brookhaven supervisor and hopefully as the next county executive," he said, noting that a top priority if he is elected to Suffolk's top post in November is finding ways to cut taxes. One way, Romaine pointed
out, is eliminating the tax on fuel. "Government should operate with what the residents can afford, not keep taxing us to death."
"I would absolutely be over the moon if they call back a special session to raise taxes on the rich," said Senator Jabari Brisport (D-Brooklyn), who joined 19 other state legislators in calling for a migrant tax. They are also pushing legislation to mandate that communities on Long Island and throughout the state be forced to take in the migrants. "I think that if we don't put forth a positive vision, then the people who want to divide us will create a strong
narrative and those elections, people who will start to point at asylum seekers and saying, you know, it's them versus us or other ways to divide," Brisport said.
“When they say tax the rich, they’re referring to the middle class residents who make up the backbone of our state,” DeStefano concluded. “They’re talking about squeezing the plumbers, the electricians, the firefighters, the police, the teachers, the small business owners–all the hard- working people who get up every morning for the privilege of giving the government half of their money.”