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Connecticut Tax Crisis

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According to Singers(August 24,2017), ITEP’S (July, 2017), (July, 2017),(August 2011), and(December 2011), higher sales and gas tax in Connecticut have consequences and a solution proposed to reduce tax burden on low income family. Based on the readings and my understanding of this topic, I conclude that increasing sales and gas taxes in Connecticut to fix a budget crisis will be financially harmful to low income families and needs to be address with the new policy. Singer(August 24,2017), pointed out that, Connecticut legislators are deciding to increase the sales tax from its current level to 6.85 percent to fix a budget deficit, estimated to reach $3.5 billion in two years and improve state aid to towns. Based on Tax Foundation studies, …show more content…

Comparing sales tax to other states shows that, Connecticut’s sales tax is not among the highest. According to Singer's (Aug 24, 2017), the Connecticut 6.35 percent sales tax ranks thirty-two in the US. It is higher than certain state such as Massachusetts, and lower than others, such as Rode Island and New York. As Connecticut tries to grow its economy and fix it budget crisis with higher sales tax, will create a financial problem for the lower and middle classes. "Based on estimate produced by ITEP data, low income families spend seventy five percent of their income on items subjected to sales tax, higher than fifty percent spent by middle-income families and seventeen percent spent by the richest families”(ITEP). Considering this, the tax do not affect upper income families,but low and mid-income people who cannot afford the tax . Comparing gas tax to other states shows that, Connecticut’s gas tax is not among the highest. According to the graph provided by the ITEPS research report (July 2017), Connecticut’s four percent gas tax is higher than certain states such as Kentucky, South Dakota, and Michigan, but lower than other states such as Alaska, Louisiana and New Mexico. Excise tax on gasoline is an efficient way to generate

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