Transcript: Mayor Adams Leads Rally Thanking State Partners for Supporting "Axe The Tax For The Working Class," Bold Proposal to Eliminate and Cut City Taxes for Over 582,000 New Yorkers and Dependents

March 31, 2025

Deputy Mayor Adolfo Carrión, Housing, Economic Development, and Workforce: The most enthusiastic labor community in the world. Good morning, everyone. My name is Adolfo Carrión. I want to welcome you to City Hall. I am the deputy mayor for Housing, Economic Development, and Workforce. Thank you for joining us this morning with our faith leaders and our brothers and sisters in labor. Since day one of this administration, Mayor Adams has tasked each of us with finding ways to support the families and working class New Yorkers that keep this city running. 

Today we're here to say we have been laser-focused on that task, and thanks to our partners, we have made it to the ninth inning with Axe the Tax. We are currently on the one-yard line. I have to stop there, because we have mixed metaphors here, and we're in the middle of March Madness. We're in the fourth quarter, and the last few minutes of this game. And we hope that our advocacy, combined with the leadership from the governor, the Assembly, and the Senate, will help us win the championship. So it is with great pride that I introduce you to the 110th mayor of the City of New York, a true blue-collar mayor and champion for all New Yorkers, Eric Adams.

Mayor Eric Adams: Thanks so much, D.M. and the team, to get this done. This is so important, and you have both 32BJ and HTC, two powerful unions that understand how [to] put money back in the pockets of working-class people. And that is what we have been focused on. There's no denying the affordability issues, the national issue, when you look at not only the cost of groceries, the cost of housing, rent, just living in our cities is a real issue. 

And we have been focused on how we put money back into the pockets of everyday New Yorkers. These extreme costs are driving too many families, especially working-class families, out of cities like New York. And our goal is to focus on putting money back in their pockets. I like to say we cannot do anything about the cost of the price of bread, but we can put bread back in the pockets of everyday New Yorkers. And that's why the administration is doing all we can to keep New Yorkers from going broke or leaving town. A lot of folks are talking about putting money back in the pockets of New Yorkers, but you know what? 

We're doing it. $30 billion, everything from excusing medical debt to [reducing] the cost of the transportation on our system, we reduced MetroCard's fare, to paying college tuition for our foster care children, to what we're doing around paying for the high-speed broadband [for] NYCHA residents. You add all of these dollars together, and it shows a real way of putting money back in the pockets of New Yorkers. And this is one of them, Axe the Tax for working-class people is huge. It goes to any family making less than 150 percent of the federal poverty line, or as we're calling it, this is a way to give money back to those working-class people.

So that means a single mom making under $31,000 will see her city income tax eliminated. A family of four struggling to get by here in the city by making less than $46,000 a year would not have to worry about another tax they have to pay. And so Axe the Tax, [will] put more than $63 million back into the pockets of over 582,000 New Yorkers. Think about that, $63 million back to rent, to food, and childcare. $63 million you can put towards the things in life you need the most and not having to pay taxes on that.

In the four months since we rolled out this bold proposal, we have seen people all across the city and state throw their support behind it. One in particular, I really want to thank Assemblywoman Jenifer Rajkumar, who's joining us. We need you in Albany to get this over the finish line. We're seeing our brothers and sisters in labor who understand what it is for working class people. Our editorial boards and non-profits and our partners in the state government who made sure this ambitious initiative was included in the state budget, so important to do so. 

Hats off to the governor, Speaker Carl Heastie, Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, and all of our partners up there. In the role the governor is playing, understanding that we need to give real relief to everyday working class people. This is a clear message that we are serious about making this city and state more affordable for everyday New Yorkers. So Axe the Tax for working class families would deliver tax relief to New Yorkers who need it the most. 

We're talking about health days, retail workers, single mothers, older New Yorkers on fixed income, and young families just getting started. Because here in New York, we raise families and we lower taxes. That is the model that we want to live by. And so when you add this to what we have accomplished around everything from housing to health care to child care. Our City of Yes plan, 80,000 new homes and [investing] billions in infrastructure. We cut the cost of child care from $55 a week to less than $5 a week. We launched Big Apple Connect, as I mentioned, to give free high speed broadband and internet to public housing. And we worked with Albany to successfully expand the New York City Earned Income Tax Credit for the first time in nearly two decades, a decision alone that put more than $340 million back into the pockets of working class New Yorkers. 

So Axe the Tax would take this to the next level and save New Yorkers even more money before it leaves their pockets. And when you combine both of these, extra tax and the earned income tax credit, it collectively put more than $408 million back into the pockets of two million New Yorkers. Proverb 3:27 tells us, do not withhold good from those to whom it is due when it is in your power to act. And this is within the power of our state lawmakers. We're asking them to act and get this done. And we want to make sure that we Axe the Tax for working class New Yorkers. Thank you.

Deputy Mayor Carrión: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I just want to take a second to reiterate what the mayor said about our historic Axe the Tax for the working class proposal because at a time when working families need relief, this proposal will get it to them. And it'll put, as the mayor said, $63 million back into the pockets of working class people.

For a working class family, that's the difference between making rent and getting evicted. It's the difference between sending your daughter to childcare or having to turn down a job to take care of her. It's the difference between staying in New York City to raise a family or having to leave New York City. And now, thanks to our colleagues in Albany, we're close to getting this relief for working families. 

In short, we are in the second half, the last few seconds of this game. And hoping our advocacy, along with, as I stated before, the leadership of our governor, our Assembly, and our Senate can get this done. And now, I'd like to turn the microphone over to our friend and a great leader in our city, Bishop Mitchell Taylor.

Bishop Mitchell Taylor, Co-Founder and CEO, Urban Upbound: Good morning, everyone, and to our great mayor, Eric Adams, to our deputy mayor Adolfo Carrión, to our assembly member here today, and all of our partners in labor that are standing with us today. My name is Bishop Mitchell Taylor. I'm the co-founder and CEO of Urban Upbound, a non-profit that was developed to break cycles of poverty in public housing neighborhoods. 

The reason why this particular Axe the Tax initiative is significant to us is because the average income in public housing is $23,000 a year. And 46.9 percent is a working population. The other part of that population is on some form of subsidy. So this initiative will really give relief to the neediest New Yorkers. When people are struggling to buy groceries, to take care of the necessities of life, small things like this mean a lot. It may seem small to some, but it's big to people that are struggling to make ends meet. 

As one of the largest tax preparers in the State of New York, and number three in the country, we're on track to help our neediest New Yorkers, those that are making $93,000 a year and under with a family of four, and those that are making $61,000 individually, we can do your taxes for free. And most of the people that we see coming through the doors are folks that will benefit from the Axe the Tax initiative. 

So I want to thank our partners in the state. I want to thank our partners in the city. I want to thank Mayor Adams for championing this initiative. And I hope that everyone is able to get behind helping people make a better life for themselves by just making things a little easier to tolerate, like Axing the Tax. Thank you so much.

Deputy Mayor Carrión: So we all know that we're facing a challenge of affordability, whether it's the cost of food, the cost of rent, the cost of transportation on a daily basis. Living in American cities all across this country, people are having a hard time. Here in New York City, we know we have a 1.4 percent vacancy rate in the housing market. Working families, low income families have almost an impossibility to find affordable housing and stay with us and stay here and we need them, this is our workforce. 

And so it is timely and we know that the budget is on the brink now of being passed in the next several days or weeks. And so it's important that we bring attention to this issue. And to help us bring attention to this issue, I'm happy to bring a leader in the assembly who has been fighting for these issues. Assemblymember Rajkumar.

State Assemblymember Jenifer Rajkumar: Thank you. As a proud partner in state government, I was honored to help deliver the Axe the Tax plan in this year's budget to be passed imminently. Thank you, Mayor Adams. And to my colleagues in government, the bill sponsors Assemblywoman Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn [and] Senator Leroy Comrie for driving this forward. And thank you to our union partners. Is HTC here? 32BJ? This is [a] bold, smart and compassionate policy. We are sending a powerful message. 

If you work hard and raise your family here, your city and your state will have your back. Working class New Yorkers don't have tax shelters. They don't have armies of accountants. What they have is grit, hustle and heart. And they keep this city running. It's time this city and this state showed up for them in return. So today I think of the working people across this city who deserve a break. And in this year's state budget, due imminently, we are going to get them one. 

The home health aides caring for our elders, the delivery workers braving the elements, the single parents juggling two jobs and still making time to help with the homework. They are asked to carry too much while getting too little in return. That changes with Axe the Tax. This plan is about fairness. It's about saying to over half a million New Yorkers and their children, we see you. We value your labor. We respect your struggle. And now we're putting real dollars back into your pockets. 

For the families living at or just above the poverty line, every dollar matters. The money might go towards groceries, metro cards, child care, or even just breathing room in a household budget that never seems to stretch far enough. Working families across this city have earned this relief. It's long overdue, and we are going to provide it. Thank you.

Deputy Mayor Carrión: Thank you, assemblymember. I'll open the [questions] for Mr. Mayor.

Question: I got a question. What else are you talking to the governor about ahead of the budget, the state budget? The due is, you know, what's the status of your other priorities as well as Axe the Tax?

Mayor Adams: D.M., Raspberry, and her team, Diane Savino, they know that there are some important issues out there, discovery, as well as mental health, involuntary removal. These are huge issues for us, and child care, vouchers, these are very important issues. And she has really organized, you know, we put this weight on her each legislative cycle. You want to give a quick update, D.M.?

Deputy Mayor Tiffany Raspberry, Intergovernmental Affairs: Thank you, Mayor Adams, and thank you for your question. So obviously, we're speaking to the governor about everything, and we're in constant communication with her staff. As you know, we're in the last days, hopefully, of these budget negotiations. 

We have a lot of common sense proposals that we've brought to Albany and to the legislators, and we intend to bring home good results for the City of New York. The Axe the Tax, for instance, plan was included in the one house bills of both the Assembly and the Senate, and supported by the governor. And we think that's a really good demonstration of the work that Mayor Adams continues to do and that my team supports in Albany. Thank you.

Question: There's been a lot of, like, dire warnings over the past week from Governor Hochul, U.S. Senator Gillibrand, you know, about these cuts coming from the Trump administration, from Senate and House Republicans, how that could affect our state budget. We could lose a lot of federal funding. Can a tax cut like this, or tax break like this, pass, given those realities?

Mayor Adams: I think D.M. Raspberry pointed out that it is in both one house bills, both the Assembly and the Senate, supported by the governor. That's, you know, that's a good indicator. You know, being in Albany for seven years, I understand that's the real hurdle. The hurdle is to get both houses to agree, and then have it part of what the governor believes. And we don't see this as so much as a loss in revenue, we see it as an investment. Because when you have low-income New Yorkers having money placed back into their pockets, they go out, they're consumers, they purchase things, they add into our economic environment. 

So this is an investment in working-class people, like we did when we reduced the cost of child care, and with earned income tax credit. We have to put money back into the pockets of everyday New Yorkers. And we're happy to see that it was included in both houses, and the governor supports it. And we can get it over the top, and we can land that plane. We have a lot of faith in D.M. Raspberry and her team of landing planes up in Albany.

Question: Mr. Mayor, for the Axe the Tax, the limits you're pushing, going to be the same as what you hope ultimately passes? Is there going to be any change from what you're proposing versus what ultimately passes? And just related to salary, I was just looking up $16.50 minimum wage in New York, $34,000, that would seem to be for a single mom, for example, would be over the limit. So for good union jobs that pay a little bit better, who actually gets advantage of this? Like a doorman, $41,000, that's over many of the limits, depending on your family size.

Mayor Adams: Yeah, and you know, we're almost a victim of our success sometimes when you think about it. One of the most important union negotiating bodies is 32BJ and HTC. They do amazing jobs when it comes down to contractual negotiations. What we are doing, we're doing an analysis of those families that are really struggling at the level [of] $31,000 for a family of one. And when you look at those who are making $46,000, I believe it is, for a family of four. 

As it was mentioned by Bishop Taylor, in NYCHA, the average income is 20-something thousand. Those are New Yorkers we're trying to go to. And we know that there are other benefits that we are including for other New Yorkers to get those low income and working class people. That is why it's important for us to have a cross section of addressing these issues. And listen, I would love to say no income tax for any New Yorker. You know, that is making under certain poverty, a certain level. But we're looking at 150 percent of the poverty line, below the poverty line, federal poverty line, for the city income tax. And this is part of the overall contributions we're making to put money back in the pockets of New Yorkers. 

Deputy Mayor Fabien Levy, Communications: I just want to point out that, we also have a phase out for the program. So $5,000 above 150 percent of federal poverty level. So there's no final, like a cliff that just cuts off, that automatically cuts people off. So that's about 150,000 plus people and their dependents that would see their taxes cut down.

Question: I wanted to ask, kind of off of Ethan's questions. A lot of the Trump administration's cuts to health services, these are things that affect [and] impact working class and lower income New Yorkers. I know you often speak about your relationship to the president. Is this something you've spoken about with him? I'm thinking of something even like social security benefits, or people's social security costs can be threatened, especially senior New Yorkers.

Mayor Adams: Hold on, hold on for one moment. Please don't take the pleasure away from me. That's not on topic.

Question: What was the thought process behind choosing to give back money instead of spending it on something else? Does the benefit of granting the money back this way outweigh the good that could be created with that money?

Mayor Adams: You always find, any time we go through these budgets, people often state, well, could you be spending on this? Could you be spending on that? Can you be doing this? Can you be doing that? That's the reality of a budget. And your budget is where your priorities are located. And you have to find ways with our budget director and the entire team, what is a good investment back into the city? Some people say that why are you paying off medical debt for individuals without understanding that's the number one cause of bankruptcy [and] medical debt. 

We make these smart decisions based on an analysis. We don't just make these smart decisions just based on waking up one day and say, let's just come up with a proposal. No, we're doing an analysis, what is the greatest impact we can do in investing in everyday New Yorkers? Dropping the childcare, we saw the turnaround of getting parents back into the workforce by dropping the childcare from $220 a month to less than $20 a month. These are the analyses that we're doing. And that's why bond raters have increased our bond rating, because they see how we have smartly used our money to get people out of homeless shelters into permanent housing, to build more housing, to pay the college tuition for students. 

This is an analysis that we're doing that allows us to recover our economy in a shorter period of time. More jobs in the city history, more small businesses in the city history. Look at all these records. It's because of the analysis that we've done and the real partnerships that we have. 

Question: What you're proposing here sounds a lot like something former Governor Andrew Cuomo proposed almost a month ago.

Mayor Adams: Almost a month ago? You know, Fabien's chomping at the bits. You know, as you know, I keep saying this over and over again. And I don't know when folks are going to wake up and realize he did it a month ago, we did it four months ago. Everyone is running Eric-like. Everyone, they're creating policies Eric-like. He says he wants to do 5,000, we're going to probably put 4,000 cops on our streets. We brought down crime. Everyone is now trying to rebrand themselves Eric-like. 

When I was fighting against these reforms that had repeated offenders on the street, they were pushing in support of that. Now they're trying to change their tune. When they were calling for defund the police, I was saying support the police. Everyone is Eric-like. You don't have to have Eric-like when you have Eric. 

My policies are now being changed by others that are trying to rebrand them. We knew we had it right when everyone was pushing against us. We knew we had it right about cleaning up encampments, about taking people off our subway system, about involuntary removals. We knew we'd had it right. And we're going to continue to move towards the north star, and that's having this a place to raise children and families.