Deficit Hits $922 Million
Governor M. Jodi Rell’s office has announced her budget office, the Office of Policy and Management, has projected budget deficit for the current fiscal year has now hit $922 million. The income tax, business tax, and sales tax have all collected well under estimated figures.
Governor Rell said in a statement:
“Our state is challenged as never before – and we must rise to that challenge as never before,” Governor Rell said. “The economic tempest that has already ravaged so much of the nation has now made landfall in Connecticut with all of its fury. The last three months of 2008 – the job losses, the slump in sales, the concern in the eyes of Connecticut’s working men and women – have been an extraordinarily difficult time. Yet we are a resilient state – a place synonymous with innovation, a small state with the greatest work ethic and best-trained work force in the nation.
“In the remaining five months of this fiscal year, I will work with the Legislature to ensure that we close this looming budget gap,” the Governor said. “But it is time – past time – for the Legislature to face this economic storm head on. Lawmakers can no longer cling to false optimism that we can squeak by for one more fiscal year before facing up to any truly difficult financial decisions.
During the last special session majority Democrats managed to cut only $131 million from the budget deficit. The $922 million figure takes into account the adjustments made by the legislature thus far.
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3 Responses to “Deficit Hits $922 Million”
and the next thing we’ll hear is ” this situation calls for bold action” which translates to the tax hike.
Comment made on January 26th, 2009 at 7:41 pmget ready citizens to make cutbacks in your household.
Why is it that it’s always the same ideas coming out of the current legislature? Can anyone up there actually think of anything other than raising our taxes so they can spend more. How about some new thinking or maybe a fresh approach to the problems.
Why do we allow tens of thousands of vehicles to pass through our state? They use our roads and public safety resources and give nothing to the state. How about a .50 an axle inbound toll on all major highways. We’ll still be cheaper than going around and it will bring in tens of millions a year.
Why is the state providing behavioral health services to the citizens of the state at twice the cost of what the private providers in state already provide? If we contract with the private providers, it will cut the cost by 50% immediately.
Why are we still taxing gasoline? With the recent lowering demand for fuel, the wildly fluctuating prices, the introduction of hybrids and what soon will be electric & hydrogen, there is no way to tax all of them equally or with out growing government (never a good idea). Why not tax all vehicles via the property tax system instead? you could easily create a balanced tax schedule and since the property tax system is already in place, its just adding an entry into the form and one more copy to mail your payment to the state.
Just all other businesses in the state, there has to be a hard review of all departments. how many of the services the state provides can be provide by the private sector at a lower cost?
Comment made on January 30th, 2009 at 2:51 amHey Rell why dont you get rid of some of the state workers that it takes 5 of them to watch 1 to full a pot hole and thats not even fixing the hole the right way every ones is losing their jobs but I notice the state workers never hear of them losing their jobs I hate this state the taxes are so high and we have nothing here in this state thats nice the taxes are high because of Greenwich peeps We the people of CT need a governor and not soon enough
Comment made on February 1st, 2009 at 7:57 pmLeave a Comment