It’s tax day and this year, thanks to Donald Trump and his “Big Beautiful Bill,” his billionaire buddies will be paying less than ever. Meanwhile, those cuts increase costs for the rest of us. They mean cutting people’s access to health insurance, with $1 trillion taken out of Medicaid over 10 years, which would lead to an increase in the free-care burden shouldered by hospitals. The result will increase healthcare costs for everyone.
I celebrate tax day because it is a chance for me to invest in our democracy. Everyone should have the opportunity and obligation to pay their fair share in taxes. Right now, the wealthiest Rhode Islanders are not given that opportunity.
I’m a Rhode Island physician working mostly with low-income folks and teaching at Brown’s medical school. I am also active in a new Jewish group called Rhode Island Jews Loving Justice. In Jewish tradition, taxes are important and a way for all to contribute. For instance, when the Temple, the central place of worship and sacrifice for the Jewish people, was standing thousands of years ago, everyone paid a half-shekel towards its upkeep. Later aspects of Jewish tradition emphasized progressive taxes according to one’s wealth. These days, in our society, taxes remain an opportunity for us to knit ourselves in a community, to care for others and ourselves.
This year, on tax day, I’m asking you to support proposed legislation in the Rhode Island General Assembly: House Bill 7313 (Lead sponsor, Rep. Karen Alzate)/Senate Bill 2238 (Lead sponsor, Sen. Melissa Murray). These bills would increase income taxes for everyone who makes more than $772,000 in average total income per year. If passed, the bills would yield over $200 million per year for our state in revenue. That money could help fund needed services here, such as health care, food assistance, and public transportation. And it’s important to note: these proposed increases wouldn’t even bring taxes to a level where they were before previous Trump cuts.
In my work as a healthcare provider, I’ve seen patients without insurance struggle to obtain needed treatment. It is painful for them and unfair. And with 10,000 Rhode Islanders already lost from the rolls in the state health insurance exchange from Trump’s cuts to healthcare, people likely will die and will undoubtedly become sicker if Rhode Island doesn’t act quickly.
Providence – where I live with my family, and the largest urban center in the state with a high proportion of people living in poverty – stands to lose a great deal in terms of future social service cuts. For instance, about a third of children in the state receiving public health insurance live in Providence, and a third receiving food assistance are in Providence as well. The numbers are much larger than in any other Rhode Island city.
I’m proud of the education my children have received in the Providence Public Schools, and we love riding RIPTA buses. Also, lots of our Providence neighbors are low-income and depend on our safety-net infrastructure, and I worry about the effect impending cuts could have on them. Increased revenue from the proposed wealth income tax could make a critical impact here.
This type of legislation has wide popular support—about three out of five voters in polls are in favor. Locally, along with the Working Families Party and Economic Progress Institute, some friends and I have been calling voters in the state to encourage them to contact their local legislators about the bill. It’s been a joy to discuss this issue with people. The large majority are positive and want to help.
Let’s do the right thing, and tax those with the highest incomes so that Rhode Island can care for its residents. Call or write to your state representative and state senator now to let them know you think all Rhode Islanders should pay their fair share.
Joanna D. Brown, MD, MPH, is a spouse and mother of two living on Providence’s East Side. She loves to write poetry and agitate for social change. These days, when she’s not seeing patients or writing, you might find her navigating the labyrinthine passages of the Talmud or enjoying an outdoor, spring walk.
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