McGorty Advances Revised No-Tax Increase Budget
State Representative Ben McGorty (R-122) joined House Republicans as they issued their revised no-tax increase budget for 2018-19. The fine-tuned budget proposal eliminates the projected $5.1 billion b1udget deficit, increases school funding for Stratford, reduces the corporate surcharge and mitigates municipal aid losses by reallocating funds.”
“Everyone can see at this point that raising taxes and increasing spending have not solved our economic troubles- they have worsened them,” said Rep. McGorty. “Now the state has been downgraded again by two credit agencies within the last week. We can turn the state around, and our plan does that without raising taxes, and making some tough choices.”
Under the plan every town in the state will see an increase in school funding over current levels. The plan relies on significant state employee union concessions and reduced state spending to balance the budget. It also includes a wage freeze for state employees, but no layoffs.
The governor’s revised budget proposal includes hundreds of millions in additional cuts in local aid that Republicans rejected. The House GOP also turned down a proposal to require towns and cities to pay $400 million in teacher pensions.
Republicans did accept Malloy’s plan to eliminate GAAP funding to save $57 million a year and eliminated the Municipal Revenue Sharing Account, MRSA, and redirected the money to help balance the budget.
Republicans will now join Democrats and Gov. Malloy at the negotiating table to come up with a final budget plan that can pass both the House and Senate. McGorty expressed hope that a budget could be agreed on and finalized before the June 7th adjournment of the legislative session.