Dozens of union representatives and citizen group members gathered in front of Buffalo's main post office at 1200 William Street today to mark the New York State Tax Day of Action.
Those attending the noon-time rally represented a cross-section of community activists, all under the umbrella of the Fight for a Fair Economy Coalition.
Brian Trzeciak, education organizer of Citizen Action of WNY, charged that corporations are not paying their fair share in taxes.
"Thirty-thousand teachers have lost their jobs this past year statewide. That is 30,000 families struggling to put food on the table and pay bills they receive from the same corporations like Verizon and National Fuel that put them in this predicament," said Trzeciak.
Protesters say they chose the William Street facility, which is slated for closure, to illustrate how public services like the post office are closing while billions of dollars in tax subsidies are wasted.
Jennifer Mecozzi, chair of PUSH Buffalo, told the crowd that while most Americans are scurrying to file their income tax returns, some prominent companies are not, citing "big corporations locally like National Fuel and nationwide like Verizon and Bank of America who use corporate tax loopholes to avoid paying their fair share."
The coalition included Citizen Action, Coalition of Economic Justice, 1199 SEIU, Voice Buffalo, NOAH, WNY-ALF, PUSH Buffalo, CBTU, NYSUT, NAACP, CSEA, and ASFME, among others.