State Senator Toni Boucher (R-Wilton) released a statement Monday evening about modifications to the $40.3 billion CT state budget for the next two fiscal years.
“This is a bad time for Greece and Puerto Rico, a run on banks and creditors breathing down their throats. It is also a bad time for Connecticut.
“The only thing special about this ‘special session’ is that we were called back to Hartford after the budget turmoil failed to produce a final resolution to CT’s budget problems. However, the special session produced no real changes to the budget. The majority party simply rearranged the deck chairs. The hard-working families in CT will still be taxed nearly $2 billion over the next two years. Even after, the loudest public outcry and marquee businesses such as General Electric, IBM, Travelers, Aetna, Black and Decker, Boehringer Ingelheim and Bristol Meyers Squibb in an unusual move publically protested policies that directly targeted them.
“This is the second largest tax increase in state history. It hammers the working poor. I voted no on the first budget and I voted no on this ‘second budget.’ Another tax increase or just delaying increases on businesses is not the answer. Other states have balanced their budgets by spending less, controlling costs and promoting business friendly policies.
“Higher tax brackets and increasing taxes on those tax brackets not only hits the wealthy but on small businesses that file their business tax as personal income. This is a job crusher and further incentives our small businesses to close shop or move.
“In addition this budget also enacts policies that encroaches on local government and how they can best manage their budgets and policies.
“The bottom line is there is a deficit and there will always be a deficit if we keep shrinking the tax base and the balance of power in Hartford is not changed. Although too many have given up and left, public reaction this time shows there are people who will stand up and fight and change may be just around the corner. ”
what about the insane tax and over spend that is going on in Wilton? Little example would be a $60,000.00 snow blower with a 20+ year ROI. We support Trackside for $160,000.00 even when I requested 3 times from the person who did the 990 for miscellaneous expenses of over $50,000.00 per year—no response? or maybe a $50,000,000.00 pre school renovation for declining enrollment? Now, a CFO for the town with no accounting or finance degree is telling us we are going into the RED….and people vilify Sensible Wilton?
Toni Boucher has tried her best to knock some sense into the hard heads of Hartford representatives. She has presented facts that no sane thinking officials can deny. Gail Lavielle has also opened up the conversation and done her very best to present the right way to do things only to get out voted by the same type of hard heads the Toni is up against . Gail wrote an excellent article in the Wilton Villager of Friday July 3rd telling it just how it is up in Hartford. Here are some facts from local and national press articles Connecticut and its fearless leader should consider. The NY Times on July 1st in its article about the Puerto Rico bond problems had a graph of how all the states looked with their bonds. Connecticut ranked first in the States with a net tax supported debt per capita of over $5,000!! That is more than embarrassing, that is pure mismanagement. You cannot borrow yourself out of dept, especially on the backs of the citizens. The July 2 Wilton Bulletin had an article about Connecticut’s unemployment decline from the previous year by 0.6 points. That is not a lot, but we are really not going anyplace. We have large employers who are seeking to leave our state, and who can blame them. Citizens of Connecticut also leaving the state, why keep paying increasing taxes that effect your quality of life. Selling a house, it probably will go for less than you paid for it. Connecticut better get some legislators, and a Governor who know how to stop taxing and spending. The sad part of it all is that our kids will be the one’s that inherit this problem, and any good executives who are considering moving their companies into Connecticut will think twice, or once, not to make a move like that. The labor force will already have moved out.