We are rapidly approaching election day again, and it is time to evaluate for yourself what is most important to you and your family. According to a September 2018 poll by Sacred Heart University’s Institute for Public Policy, the two primary issues troubling voters for our next Governor are “the state budget crisis” and “the high overall tax burden” on Connecticut residents. Both of these are systematic problems that have festered for years under the current political reign at the state capital. And both of these are also among Joe Jaumann’s biggest concerns, and precisely why he needs your vote for State Representative of the 104th District.
The State of Connecticut’s budget perpetually sidesteps addressing the most significant contributors to skyrocketing state taxes, including: the rising cost of pensions, inequitable educational funding formulas, delayed payments on existing debt, and a refusal to decrease spending. The current condition of our state economy is a reason that some of Connecticut’s biggest and most successful companies have recently moved to states with friendlier tax laws. General Electric (moved to MA in 2016) and Alexion Pharmaceuticals (moved to MA in 2017) both cited that tax incentives outside of Connecticut were drivers contributing to their moves. Even healthcare giant Aetna had announced a move to New York in 2017 before being acquired by CVS earlier this year. Sikorsky Aircraft reached a massive tax-credit agreement with the state of Connecticut to ensure that they would not move their headquarters after almost 100 years in Stratford.
Connecticut’s economy at a glance (via multiple sources) provides mountains of further discouraging news: the 6th Worst Tax Burden in the U.S., the 4th Highest Real-Estate Property Taxes, the 5th Highest Vehicle Taxes, and the 3rd Highest Residential Electricity Rates. Multiple times in the last several years, Connecticut residents have been saddled with the largest tax increases in state history!
In Ansonia, Joe has served as an Alderman in support of the Mayor’s priority of stabilizing local taxes. I am appreciative of the work of numerous Aldermanic sub-committees, which have continued to buck state trends, and have ensured no increases to the local mill rate since 2013. No, city mill rates are not the only determinant of your taxes, but they are a factor, so stabilizing them is clearly a positive step.
The taxpayers of Connecticut and the Valley deserve better. Better will never mean higher tax burdens on our citizens. Joe Jaumann is dedicated to keeping the money you earned in your pocket. The first step is to stop allowing failed economic, legal, and political policies to continue. The second step is to then work cooperatively with fellow legislators to proactively and strategically address regulations that are crippling its residents. Joe is already working across party lines in Ansonia & Derby, and was endorsed by both the Republican and Independent parties. On election day, make the choice that best fits your own beliefs and your needs. I feel confident that Joe Jaumann has the intelligence and work ethic to strongly advocate for us. He has extensive related volunteer experience centered on economic development, education, planning & zoning, and on the Board of Aldermen that surely has provided him with additional unique insights into the current and future needs of our communities.
The writer represents the Sixth Ward on Ansonia’s Board of Aldermen.
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