Zawistowski Votes Against Tax Hikes, Offers Amendments

HARTFORD — State Rep. Tami Zawistowski on Wednesday voted against a two-year state budget deal between Democrats and Governor Malloy that increases taxes by roughly $1.5 billion.

The tax hikes are a direct hit to Connecticut’s middle class and the employers that support it. The majority party plan was narrowly approved in the House of Representatives 73 to 70. The vote came following a turbulent 24 hours that saw even rank-and-file progressive Democrats waffle at their leaders’ plan after a handful of large employers said its insidious business tax hikes could cause them to consider moving. Eleven Democrats joined the Republican opposition.

“It is frightening that Democrat leadership contended that this budget would put our state’s middle class on a road to a ‘brighter tomorrow.’ But when your plan is laden with taxes on the same people you’re claiming to help, and when you’re taxing the companies that employ those people, that sales pitch just rings hollow,” said Zawistowski, representative for Suffield, East Granby and part of Windsor. “This plan isn’t good for Connecticut.”

The budget plan approved after roughly five hours of debate obliterates the state spending cap, requires projected revenue from the installation of Keno gambling to stay in balance, and bets that smokers will be willing to pay an even greater tax on a pack of cigarettes than they do now. Their budget raids a dedicated fund set aside for open space, agricultural and historical initiatives, and it squeezes more money out of Connecticut’s already-struggling community hospitals. The budget’s architects say it supports the governor’s expensive transportation initiatives, yet documentation shows most of the revenue collected for that purpose is diverted to programs unrelated to roads, highways and bridges.

“Government bureaucracy aside, their budget takes a crack at everyone. It isn’t just the guy who can afford a yacht, as they want people to believe, but everyone. The plan’s reach is stunning,” Zawistowski said. “If you want to spur the private sector to create more and better-paying jobs, how does taxing the people that provide them help that? What does this budget do for our state’s economy, or its reputation as a place unfriendly to business? It makes both worse.”

Zawistowski joined Republicans in offering amendments that would have implemented aspects of their alternative “Blueprint for Prosperity” budget plan, which restored controversial cuts to libraries and critical social services programs. Zawistowski supported other amendments to eliminate the proposed tax on ambulatory surgical centers, restore the property tax credit, and pull back the controversial pay raises Malloy spread across employees of his administration back in December.

“House and Senate Republicans proposed an alternative budget that was under the spending cap, and we asked to present our ideas at the negotiating table,” Zawistowski said. “But we were never invited into the room, and, as a consequence we’ve got a budget that threatens Connecticut’s critical relationship with massive employers such as Aetna, Travelers, and GE. This could have been avoided—our state deserves better.”

Though the budget was negotiated with Malloy, it wasn’t immediately clear Wednesday if the governor who repeatedly promised that he wouldn’t increase taxes would sign it into law.