HARTFORD, Conn. — Republican gubernatorial candidate Bob Stefanowski and his running mate, Laura Devlin, said Tuesday morning that if they’re elected this November, they’ll permanently eliminate 200 of what they call “nuisance taxes” in Connecticut.
“On my first day as governor, when Laura and I walk into this building, we're going to instruct the commissioner of revenue services to simply stop collecting the bottom 200 taxes,” Stefanowski said during a press conference in front of the capitol building Tuesday.
He referenced a Yankee Institute study, claiming there are over 340 taxes in the state of Connecticut.
Stefanowski said the 200 smallest of those deliver less than 0.25% of the total revenue, about $50 million. He said if he’s elected, he’ll immediately direct the state revenue department to stop collecting the taxes, then pass legislation to repeal them.
“Why are we enforcing 200 taxes that deliver less than one-quarter of 1% of the revenue of the state of Connecticut, many of which cost more to collect than the revenue they bring in,” Stefanowski questioned.
State Democrats call this idea silly.
“Hearing Bob Stefanowski talk about affordability for working families or for the middle class is like hearing Donald Trump campaign on modesty and kindness,” said Hartford mayor Luke Bronin.
Bronin calls Stefanowski’s plan "nickels and dimes" compared to the approximately $600 million in tax cuts Gov. Ned Lamont and state Democrats approved earlier this year.
“I think that Bob Stefanowski is having trouble finding his footing and having trouble coming up with serious proposals,” Bronin said. “You can't build a gubernatorial campaign on the idea of a tax cut when the governor just enacted a tax cut 13 times bigger.”
Bronin did acknowledge it's “worth looking” at these 200 taxes, but said the bigger point is Stefanowski “hasn’t found his message yet.”
These taxes aren't a ton of money, Stefanowski said, but add up to the administrative effort, making Connecticut difficult for businesses and residents.
Emma Wulfhorst is a political reporter for FOX61 News. She can be reached at ewulfhorst@fox61.com. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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