Lamont Says Gas Tax Increase “Will Come Up Again,” Kelly Responds
July 6, 2021

HARTFORD – Senate Republican Leader Kevin Kelly (R-Stratford) released the following statement in response to comments made today by Governor Ned Lamont stating that the TCI gas tax increase “will come up again”:
“I strongly support clean air and pro-transportation investment policies. But the TCI gas tax forces residents to sacrifice much for little gain. The TCI gas tax is a significant burden on working and middle class families, with little improvement in greenhouse gas pollution, which is why early supporters like the Sierra Club have since withdrawn their support. It is a tax that even Democrats now admit will hurt poorer people with older vehicles who would pay a disproportionate amount of the cost. Democrats in Washington like President Biden, Sanders, Pelosi and Blumenthal also oppose a gas tax increase, unlike Connecticut Democrats who are still trying to push the issue. Rhode Island is not moving forward with the tax. No state to our west – the places that create the pollution we breathe in – are participating, thus making the program ineffective for reducing emissions significantly in our state. Where is our federal delegation in pushing for federal changes to reduce emissions across the country? Silent. We need to work together to build a green Connecticut, but we shouldn’t be asking working and middle class families to foot the bill.”