Friday, June 01, 2007

As expected...

Gov. M. Jodi Rell vetoed the Democratic tax plan.

Democratic leaders in the House and Senate quickly jumped on it, criticizing her for not wanting to help lower the tax burden on 95 percent of the state's population. But, despite the much ballyhooed "override majority" in both chambers, Democratic leaders have thrown in the towel and won't even try to override her veto. (Thier tax plan passed both the House and Senate, but not by the margin needed to override the veto.)

The governor's office wasted no time by resurecting a couple of quotes House Speaker James Amann, D-Milford, offered to the media immediately after she delivered her budget address calling for a 10-percent across the board tax increase in the income tax. This was their response:

"NOTE: Speaker James Amann himself said the day after the Governor M. Jodi Rell's budget speech that the surplus meant Connecticut did not have to raise taxes. This was before it was learned that revenues would
outpace expectations by $1.2 billion.
-------------------------------
Feb. 8, 2007 - House Speaker James A. Amann, D-Milford, also was
critical of the proposed income-tax hike. "That was the head-scratcher
of the day," he said. "It's quite unheard of for her to put that on the
table when we have a budget surplus."

Meanwhile, Republican legislative leaders r took exception to the Democratic critism of the governor's veto by producing an Office of Fiscal Analysis report claiming only 58 percent of the state's residents would see a reduction in taxes.

As noted here yesterday, it's just the opening posturing for the best seat at the negotiating tables when the real work of hammering out a compromise state budget gets started. The question is...when?

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