Patch Letter: Champagne Not Toasting 'Gas Tax'

VERNON, CT — To the Editor:

The Governor and legislative Democrats have a plan that would increase the price of gas and another that would result in you paying more for everyday services and goods such as groceries. With help from dozens of residents, we sent them a very public message last week on a rainy Friday evening in Vernon: No additional taxes on the middle class. This plan, the Transportation and Climate Initiative (TCI) gas tax, is still very much on the table in these final days of the 2021 legislative session.

I am writing to thank those who joined me at our rally against the TCI gas tax as well as the proposal to install a mileage-based tax on heavy trucks. These plans under consideration right now come at the worst possible time—as our state embarks on what could be a long and fragile economic recovery. The Governor claims that he does not support new taxes, yet he maintains support for TCI. This program is nothing more than another tax on the middle class.

Make no mistake, these are regressive proposals and will further prevent the middle class's recovery from a 14-month pandemic that resulted in shuttered businesses and tens of thousands on the unemployment rolls. The Governor's TCI, which is promoted under the false premise of climate change, will increase the cost of everything that you do: drive to work, bring your kids to school, bring mom or dad to a medical appointment, and even put food on the table.

These controversial proposals will be decided in the next few days when the legislative session ends on Wednesday. I hope you’ll continue to speak out and tell those who control the agenda at the Capitol that Connecticut is already unaffordable for the middle class. Visit stopthegastaxct.com to sign the petition.

State Sen. Daniel Champagne

Vernon