To the Editor:
I appreciate the efforts Sen. Haskell makes through GOOD Morning Wilton to communicate his efforts in Hartford on behalf of his Wilton constituents. [OPINION: Trump Hurt CT Taxpayers. Here’s a Big Idea to Fix It. Feb. 6, 2020] His work to be transparent is a refreshing trait in a politician. It’s simply unfortunate that Sen. Haskell’s latest op-ed transparently reveals his policies to be more complicated than necessary & less helpful than intended.
In his Feb. 6 op-ed, Sen. Haskell assigns plenty of blame to the Federal Government’s SALT deduction cap. He correctly states a lower SALT cap costs CT taxpayers money. That’s the extent of where he’s correct though. The lower SALT deduction should have been an opportunity for our representatives in Hartford to come clean with us, their constituents, to simply say, “The Federal Government has been subsidizing our state’s high taxes long enough. It’s time for us to tighten our belt so that you can loosen yours.”
Instead, Sen. Haskell has decided that, no, he will bring a new and innovative idea to make a complex tax system even more complicated for you, the taxpayer, by creating another deduction based on CT employers’ payrolls and not on personal income so that individual taxpayers won’t have to pay. But businesses will. Until—wait for it!—the Federal Government pays them back.
… What?
If we’ve learned anything from this Presidential Administration, it should lead us toward a renewed importance and focus on our local government. Hartford shouldn’t be able to hike up our taxes under the cover of Washington, DC. Sen. Haskell shouldn’t be thinking through the lens that new and innovative ideas are built upon old and tired existing policies.
If Sen. Haskell is looking for new and innovative ideas to bring to the Senate circle, here’s a big one: lower taxes. Cut spending in kind. Give more of the taxpayers’ money back to the actual taxpayer so that we—the taxpayers—can help the state generate revenues by spending money the way we want at our local CT businesses—big and small.
In a complicated world, the greatest innovation is through simplification. Figure it out.
William Blake
Great letter William. There are 2 ways to make money – increase sales or cut expenses but it seems the State is always looking to boost “sales” (i.e. taxes) but cutting expenses is never the lead story or consideration.
I’ll be asking Will to present some honest scenarios covering a Low, Median and High income scenario for 3 individuals as well as 3 small businesses in Wilton to see specifically how his numbers add up and help Wilton. That will clear up the picture nicely and help him sell his idea or what I will think be shell games and vapor.