Sen. Kelly Slams Push to Vote on a New Gas Tax in a September Special Session
August 4, 2021

Senate Republican Leader Kevin Kelly (R-Stratford) released the following statement about Democrats’ efforts to vote on a new gas tax in a September special session:
“Fighting against the Democrat appetite to tax you is a never ending battle. Trying to push this new tax for an emergency vote in a special session with little transparency and no public hearing is wrong. People need to know what is happening behind closed doors. They need an opportunity to make their voices heard. This is a tax that will hurt working and middle class families the most when they can least afford it. Connecticut families are taxed enough.
“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with little improvement in greenhouse gas pollution, which is why early supporters like the Sierra Club have since withdrawn their support.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 have opposed a gas tax increase, yet Connecticut Democrats are still actively trying to make Connecticut more expensive. 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. 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.”
For more information visit www.stopthegastaxCT.com.