Hartford, Pittsfield, and Brattleboro are among about 150 communities across the country planning tax marches on Saturday, April 15, in concert with a national march in Washington, DC.
Vermont Law School professor Jennifer Taub was among the first to launch the national event. It was shortly after the women's march in January that Taub, a Northampton resident, first envisioned a march for the traditional tax deadline. The idea was to pressure President Trump to release his tax returns.
After Taub's initial tweet was widely circulated, she joined forces with other activists, formed a national committee, and set off what now includes about 150 satellite marches across the country.
Even if the president still refuses, Taub said, "I'm hoping to send a message to the Congress. They're already empowered to get these tax returns right now, under existing law. Also the states are beginning to look into legislation to make it a requirement for candidates in the presidential campaign to provide and release their tax returns."
Taub said speakers will also address tax fairness. "It also goes to how we allocate those taxes," Taub said, "which are a public resource, toward the communities and services that we collectively value."
She said that means protesting Trump's proposed federal budget, which would strip away many social services while beefing up the military.