Tax Ideas Claimed By All Candidates

Sections

Neighborhoods

Features

NHI Newsletter

Legal Notices

Some Favorite Sites

Government/ Community Links

by Thomas MacMillan | Jun 23, 2010 2:51 pm

(4) Comments | Commenting has been closed | E-mail the Author

Posted to: Campaign 2010

Thomas MacMillan File Photo After state representative candidate Debra Hauser released a campaign statement on state tax policy, her opponents responded by welcoming what they called her support of their ideas.

Hauser (center in photo) is running for the 96th District General Assembly seat being vacated by State Rep. Cam Staples at the end of this term. She faces East Rock Alderman Roland Lemar (right) and Hamden historian John Morrison (left) in the Democratic primary.

In an email release last week entitled “Hauser On Taxes, The State Budget, And The Economy,” Hauser proposed three ideas: a progressive income tax, the closing of a tax loophole, and full state funding of Payment In Lieu Of Taxes (PILOT).

Great ideas, said her opponents. We’ve been talking about them for months, they added.

Hauser’s email presents the ideas as solutions to the state’s current tax structure, which is “unfair to homeowners, small businesses, and low-income residents.”

She proposes a progressive income tax, with higher tax rates for those earning over $500,000 per year. (The state implemented a modest form of progressive taxation in 2009.)

Second, she proposes closing a tax loophole that allows multi-state corporations to avoid paying state taxes on revenue earned in Connecticut. For instance, a company like Wal-Mart, which operates in many states, is allowed to declare its Connecticut income as Nevada income and pay lower or no taxes.

Third, Hauser says the state should fully fund PILOT, the payments made to cities to make up for revenue lost by granting tax exempt status to non-profits and universities.

“Sounds good,” said Lemar, in response to Hauser’s statement. “Seems like she’s cribbed a lot of this (some actually verbatim from our debate a few weeks ago) all of which I’ve been talking about for months, as has John Morrison. Most of this has already been proposed at the state level over the past few years, so its good that she’s on board with a lot of it.”

Lemar said he was surprised to see Hauser throwing her support behind progressive taxation, when she did not initially support it at the nominating convention.

“Sometimes it’s difficult to figure out exactly where she stands,” he said.

“It’s certainly interesting that she’s now favoring progressive taxation,” Morrison said. He said he has been calling for progressive taxation to pay for 100 percent funding of educational costs in Connecticut and lower state property taxes. “She simply hasn’t picked up on that.”

Morrison said he is not familiar with Hauser’s second proposal, to close the tax loophole.

Lemar said efforts at the state level have been trying to address that problem, known as the “Las Vegas loophole” for some time. He said he has advocated for its closure.

All the ideas on Hauser’s statement are good ones, Lemar said. “The challenge is being able to execute next year.”

“The talent that I have to offer is building coalitions,” Lemar said. “And getting things done.”

Contacted by phone for response, Hauser said she couldn’t talk immediately. She asked to hear the Independent’s questions. She called back three hours later to say, “Good ideas are good ideas, and I’m happy my opponents agree with my ideas.”

In response to Lemar’s claim that he’s the best candidate to turn ideas into action, Hauser said, “I’m pleased with my community activism.”

She said she’s “brought a number of people to the table” to discuss issues like “community violence and poverty.”

Comments

posted by: Kevin on June 23, 2010 3:05pm

In article after article, Hauser is a disaster. Plain and simple. This race should be between Lemar and Morrison. You’ve got to do some serious work to convince yourself that Hauser would even be a below-average representative.

posted by: Doyens on June 23, 2010 4:49pm

If you want more funding for PILOT, how do you intend to pay for it? What other cuts will you make to state spending in order to shovel more money to PILOT, of which New Haven receives about 33% of the total allocation for the state. The PEQUOT money is also distributed according to the PILOT formula if I remember correctly. Shouldn’t these funds be considered part of PILOT? As you all should well know, our domination of education funding and PILOT has earned us near universal disdain from most of the other towns and cities with the exception of Brideport and Hartford. How do you intend to overcome that opposition? What are your thoughts on the mayor’s relentless campaign to build more PILOT eligible projects even as he complains about the excessive inventory of tax exempt real estate and static PILOT funding?

The state is looking at a multi-billion deficit for the next five years. At a time when everybody sees nothing but spending cuts, I hear nothing but promises and we shoulds. I’d like to read some straight answers about these difficult questions. And for the record, I don’t know what difference it makes who was on the record first or last on these issues and don’t care. Claiming Hauser cribbed from the debate when these issues have been floating around Hartford for the last few years I guess means Lemar cribbed from the state discussions.

So far, all three of you back more PILOT dollars when there isn’t any; a progressive tax that just about nobody understands how it will impact families; and closing a tax loophole which amounts to a large tax increase on the few corporations in CT with operations elsewhere and that still employ CT people. Three issues, three candidates and zero importance to citizens at least as they’ve been described in these political stories.

posted by: Hauser Supporter on June 23, 2010 5:58pm

Kevin,

You Lemar supporters would love to have this become a Lemar (New Haven) versus Morrison (Hamden) fight, where the clear outcome would be a Lemar win. Not so fast, not gonna happen. Doyens is correct, Lemar says that Hauser stole an idea that he stole from others, nothing original here.

You and Lemar know that Hauser has Hamden sewn up, runs neck and neck with Lemar in New Haven, and ultimately wins. Ouch, it must hurt that the golden boy can’t double talk his way into the state rep seat.

You folks posted the same sort of rubbish during the democratic ward committee races a few months ago against Mike Smart’s team, and you got slaughtered. Expect the same result here.

posted by: streever on June 24, 2010 10:53am

Hauser Supporter,

It’s odd that your candidates campaign started with it’s only message being “I have the money to beat D’Agostino” and now has devolved into, “Lemar has good ideas and I share them too.”

I feel like the choice is between Lemar who has articulated his policies clearly and well, or Hauser who has not articulated any until now, and surprise, they are all identical to Lemar.

I like Deb and think she’s a great person. I just think it’s obvious who came to the table with their homework done. Roland has the experience and the knowledge.

Read any of the debate transcripts—Roland has answers! Deb has vague statements about looking into things.

At the end of the day, neither you nor I will determine who wins this election. It will be determined by voters, who are right now being asked to choose between someone with a clearly articulated platform & someone who is floundering to find her voice.

I sincerely hope they make the right choice and choose the candidate who has 5 years of experience addressing the needs of our region. The best thing we can do for our neighborhood is to vote Lemar. He has proven that he has the integrity & experience needed in this race, and I am confident that Ward 10 will support him.

New Haven Independent

New Haven Independent Login Form