STRIPP: REAL WORLD ‘NO TAX’ BUDGET UNVEILED

HARTFORD – In an effort to fuel stalled budget negotiations, State Rep. John Stripp along with House and Senate Republicans today unveiled an alternative Real World budget plan to solve the state’s fiscal crisis through governmental consolidations and spending cuts, but maintains aid to towns and cities.

In startling contrast to the Democratic plan that would raise taxes a whopping $1.8 billion, the Real World no tax increase budget proposal would spare taxpayers any more pain.
The details of the Real World no tax increase budget spending plan:
• Reduces state spending by 4%
• Maintains current state aid to municipalities
• Consolidates 23 state agencies into 6
• Less borrowing than the other alternatives
• Maintains funding for social and human services at 2007 levels
• Eliminates the Citizens’ Election Fund

Additionally, the 5 key social and human services agencies (DSS, DMHAS, DDS, DCF, and DPH) funding is actually increased over 2007 levels by 13%.
Unlike any other budget proposal, House Republicans have no tax increases. Democrats want to raise taxes by a whopping $1.8 on businesses and workers with no tax breaks for the middle class. Republicans today proposed cutting the bloated state bureaucracy by an additional $446 million to meet the revised budget revenue estimates.

Rep. Stripp, a member of the legislature’s Appropriations Committee said, “For too many decades, our constituents have been asked to do much more than their fare share in contributing to the tax revenues of out State, and the trends of the amount of the contribution continues up and up, and the amount we see in return dwindles each year. This Republican budget is proof that a responsible, sensible tax policy is not only possible it is the right, and the reasonable thing to do. “

The state’s major social services agencies will receive an additional $1.2 billion under this plan for a total of nearly $10 billion. The state has lost $2 billion in revenue from the recession and Wall Street declines and some funding levels are simply unaffordable at this time.

The budget is balanced through a series of new revenue streams similar to those adopted by Democrats and Gov. Rell:

• A $75 million tax amnesty program;
• $70 million in state asset sales such as unused property
• Additional securitization of state assets for $125 million
• $50 million in additional debt collection for individuals and companies that owe the state fees and fines;
• $10 million for rent to allow cell towers on state buildings.

Budget negotiations are expected to resume next week.