Jordan Allyn photos
Lawmakers, including Looney (right), lined up at Friday's town hall ...
... to hear from the public on housing, tax concerns.
New Haven State Sen. and President Pro Tem Martin Looney had a message for constituents worried about high taxes: Send a message to the governor to raise taxes on the wealthiest 1 percent.
“The answer is making our income tax more progressive at the higher end,” Looney said at a 100-person town hall, as he endorsed lawmakers’ proposal for a temporary hike to the capital gains tax.
Looney offered that tax-the-wealthy call Friday during a Legislative Town Hall at the Miller Memorial Library in Hamden.
He was joined by fellow members of Hamden’s state delegation, including State Sen. Jorge Cabrera and State Reps. Liz Linehan and Steve Winter, the latter of whom also represents a portion of New Haven. Attendees filled the library’s Thornton Wilder Hall for the meeting.
Many in attendance Friday, including members of Spring Glen Church, voiced frustrations about high housing costs and a dearth of middle-class residential options. Marie Bravo, a church affiliate, asked the state lawmakers to share if they plan to support the Work, Live, Ride bill, aka House Bill 6831.
HB 6831 offers infrastructure funding to Connecticut towns that prioritize building houses near public transit stations. This provides incentives for municipalities to create more transit-oriented residential developments.
“It seems like a ‘two birds, one bill’ situation,” said Bravo, arguing that it addresses transportation and housing issues simultaneously.
Winter, a co-sponsor of the bill, agreed and said, “We have the lowest vacancy rates in the country and that’s because we’re not building enough housing.” He sees HB 6831 as a “modest step” towards changing land-use regulations and increasing housing.
Bravo, along with several other town hall attendees, also expressed concern regarding increased property taxes. That’s when Looney endorsed a more progressive tax system.
The state legislature’s finance committee this year recommended a 1.75 percent surcharge on capital gains income from the wealthiest 1 percent of people in Connecticut. The state currently taxes net capital gains at 7 percent.
According to the CT Mirror, this surcharge would be applied through 2029 on capital gains earnings of individuals whose overall income is at least $1 million and couples whose income tops $2 million. It would include a one-time exception for the sale of residential and business property. On Friday, Looney stressed the importance of this proposal.
“That would raise over $290 million per year,” said Looney. “Now, the governor has opposed any increase in taxes even on the wealthy because he believes that it might cause them to move out of the state.”
Rob Blanchard, Gov. Ned Lamont’s director of communications, emailed a response to the Independent. “Governor Lamont has ensured that affordability and opportunity are at the heart of his legislative agenda and every budget he’s signed.”
Blanchard pointed to Lamont’s record, which he said includes delivering the largest income tax cut for working and middle-class families in state history and eliminating the estate tax for 99 percent of the state.
Due to federal cuts, Blanchard added, the governor’s “preference is increasing the number of taxpayers in our state, rather than increasing taxes.”
Looney urged the audience to call the governor and pressure him to approve the 1.75 percent surcharge proposal. Some community members shared skepticism of that strategy. Jeffrey Boyd, a retired doctor based in Bethany, said, “If I call Governor Lamont, he won’t respond.” Looney argued that leaving a message still makes a difference and that Lamont’s team tracks the number of calls for any given issue.
State Rep. Liz Linehan, whose district includes Cheshire, Wallingford, and Hamden, added, “Bottom line, it’s going to be time for the governor to run for governor again. So the best thing you can do is be loud.”