Sen. Sampson’s January 11, 2022 Legislative Update

Last week I, along with the Connecticut Senate Republican lawmakers, called on the state legislature to temporarily reduce the Connecticut sales tax rate to provide relief to families being crushed by surging inflation.

We are proposing to reduce the sales tax from 6.35% to 5.99% and eliminate the additional 1% meals tax from February 15 through the end of calendar year 2022.

The proposal will result is a temporary tax reduction totaling $315.1 million ($132.3 million in FY 22 and $182.8 million in FY 23) during the difficult months ahead.

As a firm fighter for fiscal responsibility, I want to emphasize that this is will be a significant first step in the effort to make our state more affordable, address burdens, and provide relief during tough times.

I wholeheartedly support this change because the state budget will remain whole even with this tax reduction. The state budget is in surplus and is already directing a record amount of excess revenue to pay down on the state’s pension debt.

Connecticut can afford the proposed tax cut with the additional sales tax revenue and gross receipts tax revenue collected by the state as a result of surging inflation to provide a temporary sales tax reduction during this difficult time.

Proposal overview:

• Decrease the sales tax from 6.35% to 5.99% from February 15 through the end of calendar year 2022.Reduction would only apply to the sales tax that is at the 6.35% rate (e.g., no reduction to the 7.75% “luxury” rate for motor vehicles over $50,000 or jewelry over $5,000).
• Eliminate the meals tax surcharge from February 15 through the end of calendar year 2022.The meals tax surcharge is one percent added to the base 6.35% sales tax rate. It applies to meals at restaurants and prepared foods sold at supermarkets and grocery stores.

You can read the whole proposal HERE.

I have added my voice to Senator Kelly’s call for Governor Lamont to reverse the foolish and dangerous policy of mandating that nursing homes and long term care facilities accept confirmed COVID positive patients. There is little question that this policy led to additional deaths in nursing homes in Connecticut and New York in the past. Why on earth would anyone think this is a good idea! From the very beginning, we have known that COVID-19 is most dangerous to older citizens, particularly those with underlying conditions. Isn’t that who lives in nursing homes!! Our government at every level continues to mismanage its response to the virus, much like it mismanages most everything else. I called on Governor Lamont to please reconsider this madness.