Yankee Institute applauds Gov. Ned Lamont’s commitment to uniting both parties to fix the problems that plague our beautiful state. The Governor is right to call for “a reduction in tax rates which the state can afford and […]
“We appreciate Gov. Ned Lamont abandoning previous plans calling for 50 to 80 tolling gantries throughout Connecticut and seeking a variety of ways to leverage federal dollars in order to fund transportation projects in our […]
“As Governor Ned Lamont meets with legislative leaders tomorrow to discuss transportation funding, we hope he will remember his campaign promise to save taxpayer money by reaching a deal with Connecticut’s government unions. Connecticut’s fiscal […]
“We applaud Gov. Ned Lamont and the legislature on passage of a budget that does not contain a new capital gains or an income tax rate increase; does not force municipalities to pay for teacher […]
“The budget proposals released today by the Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee demonstrate a disturbing inability to learn from the negative impact of past tax increases. Although we welcome the proposal to eliminate the gift […]
The Connecticut State Legislature will begin its 2023 session on January 4th and will adjourn on June 7th. The “long session,” as non-election years are called in Hartford, will be centered around the biennial budget. The Office of the State Comptroller reports that state government found a way to spend $47.11 billion in 2022 and, if trends continue, we can expect that number to grow even more going forward. Concerns over energy prices, inflation, and general cost of living continue to dominate the headlines and the threat of a recession hovers over economic forecasts.
What will our elected officials be working on to improve policy outcomes for Connecticut residents? What tax reform proposals will there be? What can be done to lower home heating bills? How will state and local budgets be affected by fewer federal resources? How will schools be implementing to curriculum requirements?
While we wait to see the thousands of individual and committee bills that while dominate the myriad policy debates this year, Yankee Institute is hard at work promoting free-market solutions to the problems we face from Stamford to Putnam and Mystic to Salisbury. To that end, we have produced a new edition of our Charter for Change. The Charter provides commonsense reforms to make Connecticut’s government work for its residents.
Though the list of reforms may be exhausting to review, it is far from exhaustive! And that’s why we want to work with you to build a broad-based coalition to encourage sound policy reforms to enable Connecticut residents to forge a better future for themselves and their families.
It’s also imperative that we do so. As we noted in a report and CT Mirror op-ed last year, the debate over whether we’re in a national recession really misses the point for Connecticut residents. We had more people employed in the private sector in 2007 than we do today. Our economy has grown at one of the slowest rates in the nation for the past decade, and we are getting outpaced year after year. We’re not attracting innovation and industry. We’re losing some of our best and brightest as they seek other parts of the country where it’s easier to make a living.
But together, we can reverse this trend.
At Yankee Institute, we know Connecticut is a state with boundless opportunity, and we intend to help make our state more than a place where people are just able to make ends meet! Connecticut should be a place where everyone can thrive – and with your help, it will be.