Bethel's Rep. Carter Votes 'NO' on Democrats' Budget

HARTFORD – State Rep. Dan Carter (R- Bethel, Danbury, Newtown & Redding) voted Wednesday morning in strong opposition to the Democrat’s “negotiated” spending increases and tax hikes. The proposed budget, which passed the House by 3 votes and without a single Republican vote, increases spending $784.5 million in the next year and increases taxes $1.5 billion in the biennium.

According to Rep. Carter, some of these tax increases will hit middle class families the hardest. This includes a lifting of sales tax exemptions on goods and services such as clothing and footwear, maintaining the state’s 6.35% sales tax despite earlier reports that the rate would be reduced as an offset of the loss from the clothing exemption. It also reduces tax credits like the current $300 Property Tax Credit maximum, which will decrease to $200, and impact every homeowner in the state and come on the heels of a previous reduction from $500 in 2011.

Rep. Carter also points out that taxes aimed at businesses and corporations will only serve to further hinder the middle class, as vital Connecticut-based corporations General Electric and Aetna threaten to leave the state. Numerous employers, along with Boehringer Ingelheim, produced statements Monday warning that the policies in the budget will have far reaching effects on their ability to make long term business decisions and warn of the effects this budget will have on Connecticut residents.

“This is a disappointing culmination of such a dynamic legislative session,” Rep. Carter said. “The budget passed today is an appalling choice over the balanced “Blueprint for Prosperity” that Republican leaders proposed in April. The Democrats’ budget is balanced on the backs of hospitals and our most vulnerable populations. It breaks our record book for bad budgets, further drives jobs out of the state, and will surely do for Connecticut what similar policies did for Detroit.”

Rep. Carter, a determined advocate for the security of Connecticut’s local hospitals, considers the budget’s cut to Medicaid and $400 million hospital provider tax increase implausible. This, coupled with the new mandates produced by the passage of Senate Bill 811, will devastate Danbury Hospital.

The bill, which recently passed the State House and Senate without Rep. Carter’s support, requires hospitals to increase the transparency of their information reports. Though this element alone may have warranted support, it unfortunately also makes the process of transferring ownership of a hospital in financial need much more involved, lengthy, and therefore discouraging by requiring a hospital to submit a letter, application, and bring their request to a public hearing.

“Despite being left out of the budget process this session,” added Rep. Carter, “I hope, going forward, that the Majority Party will work in a truly bipartisan manner and consider new ideas to support the vital social service programs, hospitals, transportation infrastructure, businesses and Connecticut residents that will suffer greatly under the budget passed today.”