HARTFORD – On Wednesday Governor Malloy presented his budget ideas to legislators in both the House and Senate in a join session. State Representative Mark Tweedie (R-Glastonbury & Manchester), who was in attendance to receive the plan, considers its ideas disappointing and unacceptable.
“The governor’s plan targets our school children most of all,” said Rep. Tweedie. “They don’t deserve that. Our children deserve a high quality education supported by their state. But the governor’s budget takes money away from our towns and cities in a way that leaves them no choice but to raise taxes on their residents to make up for their funding losses. Families will suffer, and schools will suffer as a result.”
The governor's proposal guarantees middle class tax hikes and shifts the burden of Connecticut's sinking deficits onto our towns and cities. The budget eliminates the property tax credit for homeowners, raises cigarette taxes and will force towns and cities to tax hospitals by $250 million through the elimination of PILOT funds. It also assumes $1.4 billion in union concessions, similar to Malloy’s failed 2011 budget policy that never achieved the savings. That led to repeated deficits, including the projected $1.7 billion hole for the next fiscal year, and $1.9 billion the year after.
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In addition, the proposal represents a $200 million tax hike by eliminating the $200 tax credit for property owners, and shifts $400 million in teacher pension payments (about a third of the total cost) to municipalities. Towns will be required to somehow build the additional cost in to their budgets. It is truly an abrupt change in policy that shifts massive costs on to towns without allowing them the ability to plan for the change.
“There is still time to hold some bipartisan discussions on how to craft an efficient and supportive budget,” added Rep. Tweedie. “I will work with my colleagues to ensure that the governor’s proposals do not have a chance to negatively impact the State of Connecticut.”
