Connecticut Attorney General William Tong issued a formal opinion saying the proposed Connecticut Equitable Investment Fund proposed by Democrats on the Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee “lacks the requisite standards and limits to survive to […]
Even if Gov. Ned Lamont gets his tolling bill through the General Assembly during a special session, his plan, the budget and proposed reductions to the gasoline tax and bus fare would amount to $288 […]
Buried in the budget proposal from the Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee is a controversial change to the way Connecticut collects sales tax – one that has failed in several other states and one that […]
The House of Representatives on Friday referred Gov. Ned Lamont’s tolling bill to the Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee for approval on the heels of Lamont’s open letter to legislators imploring them to take action […]
Should I stay or should I go now?If I go there will be troubleAnd if I stay it will be doubleSo you gotta let me knowShould I stay or should I go? — (apologies to) […]
The Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee on Wednesday approved a $1.3 billion revenue increase, largely funded by maintaining a tax on hospitals, a 2 percent surtax on capital gains and various increases to the sales […]
Buried in a bill to raise taxes on bed & breakfasts and implement yet another motor vehicle registration fee is a provision to raise the income tax on Connecticut’s top earners from 6.99 percent to 7.49 percent.
Senate Bill 1054 would impose a retroactive tax on individuals, families and owners of small businesses who earn $500,000 or more.
Highway tolls may soon return to Connecticut’s borders as lawmakers search for additional money to fund transportation costs.
Facing projected deficits to Connecticut’s Special Transportation Fund, the finance, revenue and bonding committee heard testimony Monday on a bill to install electronic tolls on Connecticut’s highways.
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.