It didn’t take very long. One business day after Gov. Dannel P. Malloy announced a concession deal to save $1.6 billion over the next two fiscal years, the administration and legislature received a request to cancel one of the multitude of tax hikes they adopted about two weeks ago. But a spokesman for the state’s […]

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s labor deal relies largely on hard, verifiable cuts to achieve its $1.6 billion two-year target, but also includes hundreds of millions of dollars in softer assumptions about savings to be derived from things like retirement, employee suggestions and a healthier work force. The deal now awaiting ratification votes by unionized state […]

A better-than-anticipated financial outlook for the current fiscal year has the state in the position of undoing some of the controversial measures it took in 2010 to balance the budget–but a debate is brewing over just what the priorities should be. When the Senate adopted a measure last week that would reduce planned borrowing–which once […]

Though Gov. Dannel P. Malloy has insisted he won’t rely on retirement incentive programs and other fiscal gimmicks to cut labor costs, his tentative union concession deal includes several retirement benefit changes that could encourage a wave of senior workers to step down this summer. A summary of the tentative deal announced Friday by Malloy […]

Now that Gov. Dannel P. Malloy stands on the brink of a union concession deal to overcome most of the state’s budget deficit in the short term, his next challenge is to protect a $1 billion pool of money he wants to use to address longer-term financial problems. Though the deal would nearly close the […]

Throughout the 2010 gubernatorial campaign, Dannel P. Malloy repeatedly charged that his Republican opponent, Tom Foley, would slash aid to towns and shred the social safety net to balance the state’s budget. Unless state unions agree to massive savings in labor costs soon, Malloy may have little choice but to follow the course he decried. […]

With the largest budget gap in Connecticut history looming just 12 weeks away, state government doesn’t have any money to save right now. But that hasn’t stopped state officials from debating how to reform government’s savings habits to steer clear of more fiscal potholes down the road. Should government be allowed to keep as much […]

The General Assembly’s tax-writing committee once again is trying to force online retail giants to collect state sales taxes by targeting their Connecticut-based affiliates. The Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee voted 38-14 on Thursday to adopt a measure commonly referred to as the “Amazon Law” and patterned after legislation enacted in New York three years […]

File this one under the least anticipated proposals of the 2011 General Assembly session. The state’s largest trucking association is asking Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and lawmakers to impose an even larger diesel fuel tax hike on its members than originally proposed. But of course there’s a trade-off: The Motor Transport Association of Connecticut wants […]

With hundreds of millions of dollars worth state tax credits and exemptions on the books, a Groton lawmaker says Connecticut should disclose which specific businesses enjoy tax breaks, and how much in savings each one receives. But while Rep. Edward E. Moukawsher‘s bill recently received a public hearing, both Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s administration and […]

Those who spoke out on the state budget Monday in one of Connecticut’s poorest cities Monday pressed Gov. Dannel P. Malloy to seek more in taxes from the state’s wealthiest citizens and corporations. The crowd of more than 250 who attended Malloy’s budget hearing at the Kinsella Magnet School on Van Block Avenue also included […]

The General Assembly’s committee on energy unveiled a bill Tuesday that would replace a controversial surcharge on electric customers and a raid on energy conservation funds with a huge new tax on Connecticut’s two active nuclear power plants. The bill, raised by the Energy and Technology Committee, is patterned partly after the controversial windfall profits levy […]

As one of the worst winters in recent history finally retreats, state government will give municipalities $30 million to fix potholes and otherwise repair local roads and bridges– the same funding it provided 25 years ago. And while state officials grapple with a budget deficit of historic proportions, municipal leaders are concerned about the state’s […]

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy reached back again to his Stamford roots Thursday, this time to find someone to head Connecticut’s tourism promotion, a topic Malloy raised often during the campaign for governor as an example of the state’s failure to develop jobs. Malloy selected Christopher “Kip” Bergstrom, who has been executive director of Stamford’s urban […]