This article was archived from the previous WordPress site. Formatting and media should be close, but may not match the original post perfectly.
HARTFORD—State Representative Martin Foncello (R-107) introduced a bill this session to eliminate the highway use tax. Now, House Republicans have used a parliamentary procedure to circumvent Democrat opposition to a bill that would save businesses and residents money by eliminating the new highway use tax (HUT) on heavyweight trucks.
Republicans petitioned to raise H.B. 5290, An Act Eliminating the Highway Use Tax, after the Finance Committee’s Democratic leadership refused to hear it. Republicans on Tuesday secured the required 51 petition signatures to force a public hearing on the bill.
“I proposed this measure and stand by my colleagues in calling for a hearing in order to help our constituents. While this is a tax on trucks, the increased cost of doing business will be filtered down onto Connecticut families,” said Foncello.
Passed by Democrats in 2021, the HUT is levied according to a truck’s weight, classification and number of miles traveled in Connecticut. Targeted truck owners are required to obtain a permit to remit payments to the state, and it’s expected to generate $90 million in annual revenue. The HUT became effective Jan. 1, and businesses subjected to the tax are expected to make their first payments to the state on Feb. 28.
The fee ranges from 2.5 cents per mile for trucks weighing between 26,000 and 28,000 pounds to 17.5 cents per mile for trucks weighing more than 80,000 pounds.
