House Republican ‘No Tax Increase’ Initiative Spares Taxpayers

HARTFORD – Representative Vincent Candelora (R-North Branford) voted with House Republicans in the early morning hours last Saturday to approve a $36 billion biennial state budget.  

 Rep. Candelora noted that when the legislative session began, it appeared that a tax increase was imminent.  Since the House Republican minority introduced a ‘No Tax Increase’ budget, and stuck top their guns through deliberations on the point, he said the GOP legislators changed the debate at the Capitol.  The final budget contained no tax increases with the exception of the cigarette tax, which jumped from $1.51 per pack to $2.00 per pack.

“While this may be a strategic and political victory for Republicans, it is more importantly a victory for the taxpayers of Connecticut,” said Candelora.

Proposals that the Democratic majority had pushed, but were unable to keep in the final budget included an increase in the state income tax, an Earned Income Tax Credit for those who make too little to pay a state income tax, an increase in the property tax credit from $500 to $1000, and elimination of the exemption of the sales tax for clothing under $50.

“Despite a roughly $900 million budget surplus, Democrats wanted to raise taxes by $1.6 billion,” said Candelora.  “Thankfully, we were able to prevent that from happening, while the towns in the 86^th District will receive a $5.7 million increase in state aid over the next two years.”

Candelora also observed that the budget which passed the House contained: 

–An additional $441 million over two years for local school aid, the largest increase in state history. There are also new measures requiring school districts to account for the funding and measure their students’ achievement.

– $94 million in the first year and $120.7 million in the second to boost reimbursement rates to doctors, hospitals, clinics, and dentists who serve needy patients on Medicaid. Physicians have not seen a rate increase in 18 years.

– Increases in funding for state parks, including $1.7 million to hire additional park personnel.

– More money for programs that help the elderly, such as personal care assistants and Dial-a-Ride.

– Full funding for day programs provided to young adults with developmental disabilities who recently graduated from high school.

– A 3 percent increase for nursing homes and private, nonprofit agencies that provide everything from group homes for the mentally retarded to programs for the homeless.

 The budget was passed by the State Senate this afternoon, and will now head to the Governor for her signature.

HARTFORD – House Democrats tonight finally killed the Gas Tax Holiday Republicans crafted to immediately save motorists 25 cents per gallon from Memorial Day to Labor Day, despite widespread public outrage at the record high fuel prices.

The Republican amendment, supported by Representative Vincent Candelora (R-86) would have saved motorists more than $125 million in fuel costs from now until Labor Day and the lost revenue would have been replaced with a portion of the $846 million surplus.

“Unfortunately, in a transparently partisan act, legislative Democrats only wanted to pay lip service to supporting a Gas Tax Holiday to pass real savings on to Connecticut motorists during this time of outrageously high prices,” said Candelora.  “They vote for it once on their tax package which they knew would be vetoed by the Governor.  This was the only real chance they had to cut gas prices at the pump, and they punted.”

Every Republican in the House and Senate voted to cut the gas tax since the House Republicans first proposed it on May 14. Since then, Democrats used procedural slight of hands to try and fool the public into thinking that they supported the gas tax cut.

Candelora noted that 173 of the 187 lawmakers in the House and Senate have in recent weeks voted to cut the state gas tax, either in amendments or on the Democratic tax legislation that was supported by 90 of the 107 House Democrats. Those votes were for bills that were crafted to give Democrats political cover but stood no chance of ever becoming law.

“The Democrats are apparently happy to be able to go back to their districts being able to say they voted for this measure once,” said Candelora.  “But the fact is, they had the power to deliver it, and they failed, because they never actually intended to give this relief.”

This session of the Connecticut General Assembly adjourns at midnight June 6^th, 2007.