More than two dozen progressive organizations and unions, along with roughly two thousand supporters, gathered in Albany on February 25 as part of the Tax the Rich campaign.

The campaign wants Governor Kathy Hochul and the state legislature to take action on several bills that would raise taxes on high-income New Yorkers.

The “Progressive State Income Tax” bill would create several new brackets taxed at between 7.5% and 16% for incomes between $500,000 and $4,000,000, as well as higher rates for those making over $5,000,000.

The “Fair Share Act” would allow New York City to impose an additional local income tax of 2% on city residents earning over $1 million annually, while the “Tax on the Most Profitable Corporations” bill would raise the tax rate on corporate income.

The Tax the Rich campaign argues that, taken together, these bills would generate at least $32 billion annually.

Wednesday’s gathering began with a rally at the Washington Avenue Armory, where speakers, including a 13-year-old Our Time field lead, addressed supporters and focused on how additional state revenue could be spent on social programs such as universal childcare.

Afterward, attendees spilled out onto the street and, led by DSA-endorsed candidates and elected officials, marched the three blocks to the New York Capitol building.

As the crowd wound its way past West Capitol Park and toward Empire State Plaza, supportive passersby honked their car horns and cheered. A delegation representing NY taxi drivers also made an appearance, waving signs and flags.

Arriving in front of the State Capitol, the crowd split in two. One part headed into the Legislative Building — housing the offices of legislators — to begin their day of lobbying, while another group made their way to the Capitol’s second floor for a “play-in” protest. That event, organized in part by New York United for Childcare, saw parents and their young children take over the Governor’s Reception Room, also known as the War Room.

Attendees then broke for lunch, before several broke off to occupy an underground hallway used by state legislators to move between the Capitol and the Legislative Building. There, amid chants of “Tax the Rich,” people fliered and lobbied representatives as they passed by.

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