Rep. Zupkus Opposes Home Heating Oil Tax

HARTFORD—State Rep. Lezlye Zupkus, a member of the legislature’s Commerce Committee, said today that she is opposed to a proposal to impose a new tax on home heating oil.

The committee on Tuesday held a held hearing on H.B. 6650, An Act Concerning Energy Efficiency Programs. The proposal would impose an excise tax of 1.5 cents per gallon beginning July 1. The tax would increase to 2.5 cents in July 2014 and then to 3.5 cents in July 2015. Under the proposal, the money collected would be set aside to fund energy efficiency programs.

Zupkus has concerns about how money collected through the tax would actually be used, and she also contends the proposal comes at a time when people can least afford it.

“Any vow that this money would be used for this very specific purpose should be looked at with a skeptical eye because the legislature has an awful record of promising to use money for one thing only to raid the account for something else,” said Zupkus, a first-year legislator with an eye for fiscal accountability. “Costs for just about everything are on the rise—from a loaf of bread to a gallon of gas. The last thing people need right now is bigger heating bills.”