Most lawmakers know better than to say the quiet part out loud — especially when the CT-N cameras are rolling. But sometimes, they forget the microphones are still hot. On Tuesday — fittingly, Tax Day […]
If you’re waking up on Tax Day in Connecticut, congratulations — you live in one of the most expensive states in the country, and your money doesn’t go very far. Whether it’s property taxes, income […]
On March 24, the Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee held a public hearing on a bill (S.B. 1528) that orders state officials to review Connecticut’s tax code and compare it to neighboring states. It’s being […]
How quickly lawmakers have forgotten Connecticut’s budget crisis in 2017. That year, the state faced budget deficits and cuts, exorbitant borrowing, and tax increases. In response, a bipartisan group of lawmakers passed the ‘fiscal […]
Connecticut’s economic outlook is at a crossroads. On the one hand, the Constitution State has made moderate strides in reducing its massive pension debt by $10 billion over the past several years; it has a […]
House Democrats are making early childhood care and education a top priority this session, pushing through a bill (H.B. 5003) that could cost Connecticut taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars. The legislation’s proponents claim […]
Tax Day (April 15) is around the corner, and for Connecticut taxpayers, it’s a bitter reminder of just how much they pay and how little they get in return. According to a new report from […]
Connecticut families could see their federal tax rates increase by an average of nearly $3,400 if the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), also known as the ‘Trump Tax Cuts,’ are not extended by Congress. […]
Two major climate lawsuits brought by youth activists — one in federal court and another in Utah — were tossed out this month by judges who agreed that setting environmental policy is a job for […]
On Feb. 7, the Connecticut state legislature’s Government Administration and Elections (GAE) Committee heard testimony on S.J. 36 — a proposed constitutional amendment that would enshrine a person’s “individual right” to a “safe and stable […]
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.