On Feb. 24, the 58-year-old actor shared a video on social media in which he called upon New York<\/a> Gov. Kathy Hochul to impose higher taxes on billionaires and corporations with the aim of improving affordability across the state.\u00a0<\/p>\n In the clip, Ruffalo also promoted the upcoming Tax the Rich & Demand an Affordable NY: Albany Takeover, a march and rally being held in the state capital on Feb. 25.\u00a0<\/p>\n “In New York, rent is crushing people,” he said. “Childcare now costs over $20,000 a year on average. Trump’s policies keep making billionaires richer, while working families endure cuts to essential services.”<\/p>\n Mark Ruffalo is facing backlash for endorsing the “Tax the Rich” movement. (Karwai Tang\/WireImage)<\/p>\n “So last year, over a million New Yorkers came together to vote for Mayor Mamdani’s affordability agenda,” he said, referring to democratic socialist New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani<\/a>, who was elected last November.<\/p>\n “So who’s getting in the way?” Ruffalo continued. “Gov. Kathy Hochul has a choice to make. You protect working families, and tax the rich, or make Trump’s cuts worse by forcing everyday people to pay more<\/a>. Sixty percent of New Yorkers, like me, agree that we should tax billionaires and corporations to fund childcare, housing and transit. Working people shouldn’t be the ones always stuck with the bill.”<\/p>\n “This Wednesday, Feb. 25, thousands of folks are going to Albany to send Kathy Hochul one clear message: Tax the Rich for New York that we can all afford. They can handle it. Trust me,” he concluded.<\/p>\n MAMDANI SIGNALS DISBANDING NYPD PROTEST UNIT, CALLS FOR HIGHER TAXES ON TOP 1% AMID BUDGET RECKONING<\/a><\/p>\n An X user later shared Ruffalo’s video, writing, “Mark Ruffalo: ‘Tax the rich… They can handle it, trust me,'” in a post that received over 5 million views.\u00a0<\/p>\n The post was quickly flooded with comments as some critics slammed Ruffalo for alleged “hypocrisy,” arguing that the Marvel star, who has an estimated net worth in the tens of millions, should be offering to pay more in taxes himself.\u00a0<\/p>\n “Waiting for him to step up,” one X user wrote.<\/p>\n APP USERS CLICK HERE TO VIEW POST<\/a><\/p>\n “So he can handle it right?” another added.\u00a0<\/p>\n “There is nothing stopping Mark Ruffalo from checking that box on his tax returns, that he would like to pay more than the required amount,” another detractor commented. “He could easily give away every dime he owns except for a middle class income level.”<\/p>\n “Him first,” another agreed.<\/p>\n MAMDANI’S ‘PAINFUL’ TAX HIKE THREAT MOCKED BY WASHINGTON POST FOR PROVING ‘SOCIALIST UTOPIA IS EXPENSIVE’<\/a><\/p>\n Ruffalo called upon Hochul to impose higher taxes on billionaires and corporations in New York. (Getty Images)<\/p>\n Some X users argued that while Ruffalo was pressing Hochul to pursue tax reforms targeting billionaires and large corporations, he was not advocating that those in the millionaire class should be made to pay more.\u00a0<\/p>\n “I love how he says \u2018we should tax billionaires\u2019 This exposes the sickening hypocrisy of these leftie celebrities,” one critic wrote. “He\u2019s a millionaire \u2013 so, don\u2019t tax him more \u2013 he\u2019s not \u2018wealthy\u2019. No, no\u2026 it\u2019s those nasty billionaires \u2013 who already pay tax and create wealth in the economy.”<\/p>\n “If we just took every penny from all the millionaires \u2013 Childcare would be free! \u2013 And housing! And food! But you would be broke, Mark,” another chimed in. “Should we vote on it? It would pass. Why is it always other people\u2019s stuff socialists want to take??”<\/p>\n “Notice how it’s always a wealthy person telling others to pay more taxes, but they never pay themselves,” one person commented.\u00a0<\/p>\n Though replies on the X post featuring Ruffalo’s message were overwhelmingly negative, the actor was widely praised in the comments section of his original post on Instagram.\u00a0<\/p>\n LIKE WHAT YOU\u2019RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS<\/a><\/p>\n Ruffalo’s critics accused him of “hypocrisy” due to his multimillion-dollar net worth. (Lia Toby\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n “Thank you for your compassion and leadership, Mark,” one fan wrote.<\/p>\n “Mark Ruffalo I am so proud of you all the time thank you,” another agreed.<\/p>\n CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER<\/a><\/p>\n “Thank you Mark Ruffalo for using your voice and influence for the right things,” one Instagram user commented.\u00a0<\/p>\n “Hulk will forever be the strongest avenger, onset and off,” a fan chimed in as another added, “Mark we love you.”<\/p>\n Ruffalo’s fans heaped praise on the actor. (Kevin Winter\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n Some Instagram users took to the comments to explain why they agreed with Ruffalo’s stance.<\/p>\n “We started taxing the rich in MA and it\u2019s been amazing,” one commenter wrote. “We have school meals for all kids, continuing education for those that want it, great healthcare, among other things. And instead of losing millionaires, we have more that moved here. It works!”<\/p>\n CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP<\/a><\/p>\n “The wealthy didn\u2019t get rich in isolation,” another argued. “Infrastructure, labor, and public systems built that wealth. Fair taxation is not punishment. It\u2019s accountability.”<\/p>\n Last month, Ruffalo joined nearly 400 millionaires and billionaires, including Disney heir Abigail Disney and British musician Brian Eno, in signing an open letter urging world leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos to raise taxes on the ultra-rich, arguing extreme wealth concentration harms democracy<\/a> and deepens inequality.<\/p>\n![\"Mark](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/mark-ruffalo-city-1.jpg\")
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