GOP Responds to Governor's Budget

On Wednesday, Feb. 16, Gov. Dannel Malloy for the 2011-2012 fiscal year and an $18.37 billion budget for 2012-2013, a proposal which he said contains $1.76 billion in spending cuts and $1.51 billion in tax increases.

Malloy's budget calls for a 30 percent reduction in government and requires state workers to make concessions, among other things. Though Office of Policy and Management Secretary Benjamin Barnes said Malloy's budget "includes more spending cuts than tax increases," Republicans said it does not do enough.

State Senator Toni Boucher, whose district includes Wilton, Westport and parts of New Canaan and Weston, went on to call Malloy's budget "the largest tax increase in Connecticut state history."

“This unrelenting taxation will kill job creation and delay economic recovery in Connecticut,” Boucher said. 

State Senator John McKinney a Fairfield Republican, said the governor's proposal left "a lot on the table."

"I'm very concerned about the direction we’re going," he said. "I clearly thought the balance between reductions in spending and tax increases would be greater in terms of spending reductions and we’re not seeing that."

McKinney said the state should look towards more agency consolidations, "shrinking the size of government and making it more efficient."

Boucher said the "budget relies so heavily on taxes on a public that's already been taxed substantially."

"We have to get serious about spending cuts," she said. "The public is angry."

State Republicans released their proposal, Common Sense: Commitment To Connecticut, which can be read in full here. The proposal is based on the following seven points:

1. Spend No More Than You Make.
2. Borrow Only What You Can Afford To Pay Back. 
3. If It's Not Working, Then Don't Fix It. But If It's Broken, Get Rid Of It.
4. The More Government Tries To Do, The Less It Does Well.
5. Government Doesn't Create Jobs, People Do.
6. We Should Have All The Government We Need, But Only The Government We Need.
7. Empower Local Governments To Make Local Decisions.

"Taxpayers will have sticker shock when they see the new tax increases," McKinney said.

According to a press release sent by Boucher, Malloy's budget includes a tax on clothing under $50, taxes on prescription drugs like aspirin, taxes on carwashes, taxes on haircuts, taxes on yoga and taxes on pet grooming. Malloy's budget also includes a three-cent gas tax increase and a two-cent diesel fuel increase.

“This is not the time to hit people in the wallet when their disposable income has been severely reduced,” Boucher said. 

What are some alternatives to Malloy's budget? Boucher calls for pension reform, an increase in the age of retirement from 55 to 65 and a reduction of state employee benefits.