Making Connecticut
Affordable
I’m running for Governor because we need elected leaders in our state who work for you, to change the status quo and make Connecticut more affordable.
I don’t need CNBC or a poll to tell me that it’s hard to afford life in Connecticut. As I travel across the state I hear it every day from families, people who have retired on a fixed income and even those fresh out of school. People love Connecticut and don’t want to leave, but many simply can’t afford to live here anymore. As a result, United Van Lines reported that there were only three states that had more people move out in 2021 than Connecticut.
What’s frustrating is that politicians in state government throw up their hands and refuse to do anything about it.
Inflation is hitting Connecticut residents especially hard. Prices are surging – the highest rate in almost 40 years – and the State of Connecticut is raking in millions on the backs of hard-working residents who are begging for a break.
I refuse to accept that the people of this state have to put their own dreams aside because the money they work so hard to earn doesn’t go as far as it should. To put it simply, the state government doesn’t do its part to live within its means and protect every single penny they get from the people of this state and be accountable for every expense. When I’m Governor, it will.
JUMP-START TAX RELIEF
ACCOUNTABLE SPENDING
TAKE ON UTILITIES
JUMP-START IMMEDIATE TAX RELIEF
Stop Collecting the Bottom Two Hundred Taxes on Day One
Did you know that of the 340 taxes the state collects, the bottom 200 only generate 0.22% of the state budget; some even cost more to collect than they generate in revenue? I’m going to eliminate these taxes on day one, directing my Tax Commissioner to stop collecting them.
Combat Inflation
I’m calling on the legislature and the Governor to immediately cut the sales tax, the gross receipts tax on gas and eliminate Ned Lamont’s new tax on restaurants and prepared foods to address soaring inflation; if they fail to act, I will. Inflation is higher now than at any point in the last 40 years. People are paying too much already, and the State of Connecticut shouldn’t be profiting off a national economic disaster while people are struggling.
Address Property Taxes
Lower taxes from the bottom-up. We’re going to address property tax reform, and it starts with reducing government spending to provide relief to residents paying more and more taxes each year on their cars and home.
ACCOUNTABLE SPENDING
Eliminate the Corruption Tax
I will immediately direct state auditors to begin the fiscal root canal Connecticut desperately needs. An audit of all state government and quasi-public agencies will root out waste fraud and abuse, and make sure that every dollar paid in taxes is being maximized. People know Connecticut is expensive, but they need to trust that every penny they send to the state government is spent wisely.
TAKE ON UTILITIES
We Need a New Regulatory Team and a New Approach
The first step will be assembling a team of industry experts, and consumer advocates to identify immediate reforms that will lower rates and create accountability and transparency. We need to especially rethink electricity generation and delivery.
Separate PURA
I will separate PURA, the state’s utility regulator, from the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and have new appointees to both agencies whose mission will be affordability, accountability and safety.
Performance-Based Compensation
My new appointees will not rubber-stamp high profits for utility monopolies that are making your life harder. A utility’s companies profit, and management compensation will be based on performance, not guaranteed by the state government as it currently is. Utility executives should not be making millions of dollars while consumers are waiting days, or even weeks for their power to come back on after a major storm.
