Senator Hwang Statement in Response to Gov. Malloy’s Budget Proposal

Senate Republican Assistant Majority Leader Tony Hwang (R-28th District) released the following statement regarding Governor Dannel P. Malloy’s budget proposal:
 

“The assortment of burdensome and job-killing tax hikes that Gov. Malloy announced today should stir every taxpayer to action. Don’t want tolls every mile?  Speak out. Don’t want new taxes on medicine? Speak out. Don’t want higher gas and property taxes?  Speak out. Send a brief note to me at Tony.Hwang@cga.ct.gov.  Include your name and town.  I will get your message to the governor.”

“I will work with Republicans and any willing Democrats to protect taxpayers from being gouged yet again by this outgoing governor.  We need to be honest and transparent in our budgetary process and everything in state government needs to be re-assessed, and that includes the state employees’ labor agreement. We don’t have a revenue problem in this state.  We have a government spending problem. The solution is not seeking out more revenue

from taxpayers’ wallets.  We need to re-prioritize and respect how every single taxpayer dollar is spent. We need to craft our budgets just like families craft household budgets.

“Hurting vulnerable and at-risk residents and cutting education and municipal funding while maintaining an unsustainable and inefficient government bureaucracy is unacceptable.  Levying higher taxes and having the most tolls and onerous gas tax in the nation without a disciplined approach to re-inventing government is not the way forward.  If you agree, then light up the governor’s email at governor.malloy@ct.gov to tell him how much you disagree with his vision for Connecticut.  And cc me at Tony.Hwang@cga.ct.gov. Let’s fight this fight together.  If we all get active, we will win this fight and send a clear message to the governor.  Please urge friends, neighbors and co-workers to get vocal as well – the governor needs to hear from all of us.”

Sen. Hwang said Gov. Malloy’s budget includes the following changes of concern to Connecticut residents:

•        Does not restore funding for the Medicare Savings Program

•        Makes cuts to municipal aid

•        Rejects the new Education Cost Sharing formula that fairly distributed funding for the first time in decades to schools based on need, population, poverty and other factors

•        Penalizes job creators with tax increases, at the same time the national effort is focused on reducing burdens on job creators in other parts of the country

•        Puts a new tax on nonprescription drugs

•        Puts a new tax on low income working families and elderly individuals by eliminating the $200 property tax credit

•        Increases taxes on retirees by eliminating newly passed tax breaks on social security and pension income

•        Hurts the housing market by increasing real estate conveyance tax

•        Puts a new tax on tires

•        An increase to one of the highest gas taxes in the country

•        Tolls with no understanding or details of locations or their cost to Connecticut residents

•        Increases the hotel tax

*Sen. Hwang represents Easton, Fairfield, Newtown, Weston and Westport .

On the web: www.SenatorHwang.com.  He can be reached at Tony.Hwang@cga.ct.gov and at 800-842-1421.