Low and middle income residents would see lower taxes and credits to pay for an EZ-Pass under the latest proposal floated by Gov. Ned Lamont.
His latest proposal, laid out in a more than 50-slide Powerpoint presentation to top members of the General Assembly, included a cut of the lowest income tax rate to two percent from three percent. Those same residents would also receive credits on their EZ-Pass.
“We thought if I could reduce the income tax for those folks, plus a credit on the EZ Pass for working families we could make this affordable, make this doable, and get us going,” Lamont said following the two hour meeting, Wednesday.
The meeting was meant to be a critical opening moment for the Lamont administration as it met with the top leaders in the House and Senate about a way forward on infrastructure investment, and when to hold a Special Session on the issue.
Democrats in the House and Senate did not meet with reporters following the meeting.
Senate Republican Leader Len Fasano insinuated that he couldn’t help but feel slightly insulted by being included in this meeting, but not others.
“We are in that room because the governor couldn’t get his toll vote through. Period,” Fasano said. “They didn’t ask us to have a meeting on the budget. They didn’t ask us to have a meeting on Paid Family Leave, they didn’t ask us to have a meeting on minimum wage and they didn’t ask us to have a meeting on their single payer system. We’re in that room because he didn’t have the votes.”
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The Lamont administration did lay out some priorities, like the widening of I-95 in spots from New York to Bridgeport, and the replacement of exit ramps. Some improvements, Transportation Commissioner Joseph Giulietti said, could shave off 22 minutes from a morning rush hour commute.
Lamont said he’s hopeful for a vote later in the summer.
“I’ve been trying to do deals a long time,” he said. “This one’s a tough one.”
