John A. Elsesser, longtime Coventry town manager, has been one of the leading figures in municipal government for nearly four decades. He understands the varied and intensifying fiscal pressures facing Connecticut and its municipalities, recognizes the need to raise revenue; and sees one possible way to do it fairly — a commercial activities tax.
property tax
Posted inCities & Towns, Money, Politics
Looney wants half-penny sales tax option for cities and towns
Senate President Pro Tem Martin M. Looney of New Haven called Friday for an optional local sales tax increase to help cities and towns control property tax rates. This would add a local surcharge of one-half of 1 percentage point to the existing 6.35 percent state sales tax.
Posted inEducation, Money, Politics
Malloy would bill towns for teachers’ pensions, cut middle-class tax credit
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said Friday his proposed budget would shift $400 million, nearly one-third of the cost of municipal school teachers’ pensions, onto cities and towns next fiscal year — a move that would hit the state’s wealthiest communities the hardest.
Posted inEducation, Money, Politics
Municipalities say CT’s property tax system is unsustainable
Just days after a landmark state court ruling found Connecticut’s education funding system to be “irrational and unconstitutional,” the chief lobbying group for cities and towns issued a new research paper calling the municipal property tax system “unsustainable.”
Posted inMoney, Politics
Overtime: General Assembly to return next week for budget vote
The leaders of the House and Senate Democratic majorities gave up Wednesday on adopting a new state budget before the legislature’s constitutional adjournment deadline of midnight, instead scheduling a special session for next week to finish its business for 2016.
Posted inEducation, Money
One bill to tax Yale moves forward, another dies
The legislature’s tax-writing committee Thursday approved a bill that would allow New Haven to begin taxing commercial property owned by Yale, but let die a controversial bill backed by the leader of the state Senate that would have allowed the state to tax the earnings of the Ivy League university’s multi-billion-dollar endowment. Yale has opposed both bills.
Posted inMoney, Politics
Municipalities fear big CT deficits will nix promised state aid
In light of surging state budget deficits, municipal leaders were skeptical Tuesday that their communities would receive the hundreds of millions of dollars in state sales tax receipts owed them over the next three years. The Connecticut Conference of Municipalities also used their annual lobbying day at the Capitol to urge legislators to spare them from new mandates and to postpone and reform a new municipal spending cap.
Posted inMoney, Politics
Panel struggles to solve state’s property tax woes
The panel studying Connecticut’s taxes off-and-on for two years has wrapped up its work struggling to find consensus on arguably Connecticut’s most onerous levy: the municipal property tax.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Want to fix Connecticut’s economy? Pass property tax reform to help the cities
To help our cities create jobs, Connecticut must reform property taxes. It’s no coincidence that unemployment is highest in our cities where property taxes are highest.
Posted inMoney, Politics
Daunting task: Study taxes but not whether they’re too high
The State Tax Panel is kicking off a four-month study of the state’s tax system and economy, but in theory it will not address whether taxes are too high or too low, or whether certain groups should pay more or less.
Posted inEducation, Energy & Environment, Health, Money, Politics
Health, labor, environment bills revived in special session
A wide range of legislative priorities that failed to clear both chambers of the General Assembly before the June 3 end of the regular session won final approval early Tuesday as part of a massive budget implementation bill. The 686-page everything-but-the-kitchen-sink bill also includes several controversial new provisions. Here’s what’s in it.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
CT special session should strengthen,
CT special session should strengthen,
not weaken, progressive budget
General Electric and other major corporations have demanded these changes while threatening to leave our state. But the General Assembly shouldn’t do GE’s bidding. They should build on this year’s progress instead. To help everyone, including GE (despite what they say), the General Assembly should continue with property tax reform.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
CCM: Connecticut budget’s devilish details tarnish final result
The Connecticut Conference of Municipalities strongly supports legislative efforts to reduce property tax reliance. We are appreciative that Gov. Dannel Malloy and legislative leaders have demonstrated their commitment toward finally addressing this outdated and overly burdensome tax system. The story, however, does not end there. Lost in the debate are details of significance to our local communities.
Posted inMoney, Politics
Malloy opens door a crack on business tax hike
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy left open the possibility Thursday that he and the legislature could revisit one of the most controversial business tax hikes in the new two-year budget when lawmakers meet in special session later this month.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Tax hikes in Connecticut Dem’s budget are disheartening, unacceptable
Connecticut already places and insurmountable tax burden upon our residents. To ask any more is unconscionable. All of my Republican colleagues, and even 11 Democrat legislators, shared this sentiment when we voted against the Democrat-proposed tax hike. Unfortunately, this was not enough to steer the State of Connecticut off its self-destructive path.