“People I talk to are livid about this.”

(Please read the attached Connecticut Post article about the potential new “Mileage Tax” in our state and send me your comments at [email protected] – thank you!)

Mileage tax vetoed in Mass. — still alive in Conn.
Malloy, Dem leaders say study to gather info
By Bill Cummings

Connecticut Post

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker’s recent veto of a plan to study how to tax miles driven on Bay State highways is adding pressure on Gov. Dannel P. Malloy to stop a similar federal pilot program Connecticut is pursuing.

“It’s a symbol of what’s wrong in Connecticut,” said state Sen. Toni Boucher, R-Wilton, referring to Malloy’s application for federal funds to study a mileage tax, which includes a commitment to spend $300,000 in taxpayer money.

“It’s the governor being out of touch and out of control,” Boucher said. “(Baker) did such a good job of saying what Connecticut should be doing.”

Baker earlier this month vetoed a provision in a transportation funding bill that directed the state to apply for a federal pilot program to study mileage taxes, saying the levy could place an unfair burden on some motorists.

Malloy and the General Assembly’s Democratic leadership have said they have no intention of enacting a mileage tax, and insist the proposed pilot program is intended only to gain information.

But Malloy has conceded the state needs a new source of transportation funding to fix congested and crumbling roads because gas tax receipts, which have been steadily dropping due to increasingly fuel-efficient cars, are not keeping up with demand.

“It’s a symbol of what’s wrong in Connecticut.”

State Sen. Toni Boucher, R-Wilton

Devon Puglia, Malloy’s spokesman, acknowledged Democratic leaders oppose a mileage tax but he added the governor believes it’s still necessary to look at the idea.

“We understand that we may be the only elected officials in the state that stand by this application,” Puglia said. “Nonetheless, we believe it’s necessary to plan — just as all the other states around us are doing in this multi-state application — for what happens when so many of our bridges reach the end of their life spans and revenue from the gas tax dries up.”

Puglia added “We need to have a conversation, all of us, Democrats and Republicans, about how we are going to fund major projects that must be done in the years ahead.”

Still, state Sen. Joe Crisco, D-Woodbridge, said Malloy’s position is confusing the public and talk of a mileage tax should end, adding it’s “unfortunate” the state submitted the application.

“News of the application confused the public who, like me, are wondering why [the state] would apply for a program they say they have no plans to implement,” Crisco said. “A vehicle mileage tax is not the way to go.”

Same study

The study vetoed by Baker in Massachusetts and Connecticut’s pending application for mileage tax pilot program are nearly identical.
Connecticut in May applied for federal funding through the I-95 Corridor Coalition, along with Delaware, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and Vermont. The state pledged to find 50 volunteers who agreed to have their mileage tracked and receive fake tax bills.

The provision vetoed by Baker directed Massachusetts to apply for the same federal pilot program. The study would have involved 500 volunteers who also agreed to have their miles tracked and receive fake tax bills.

But Baker abruptly stopped Massachusetts’ application with the stroke of pen.

“I worry a lot about the consequences of this for everybody from Worcester west,” Baker said in a statement. “It feels to me like it falls into a category of something people really ought to know a lot more about before they head down this road.”

Baker added, “I would never support a vehicle miles-traveled tax unless I was absolutely sure it was not going to create an additional burden on drivers in Massachusetts, especially on drivers in parts of the commonwealth where there’s not a lot of available public transportation.”
Democrats in Massachusetts control the state Legislature and leaders expressed disappointment over Baker’s veto. But those leaders were unable to attempt an override because the provision was rejected after lawmakers adjourned.

Rushed through

Senate Minority Leader Len Fasano, R-West Hartford, said Malloy should follow Baker’s lead and cancel Connecticut’s proposed pilot study.
“The governor of Massachusetts’ decision is the right idea, and shows just how backwards things are here in Connecticut where the same mileage tax proposal is still very much in play,” he said.

Fasano said Connecticut lawmakers didn’t get an opportunity to vote on the proposed Connecticut study because Malloy’s administration “rushed it through to the Department of Transportation” and Democrats did nothing to stop it.

Puglia said pulling the application makes no sense, pointing out that Massachusetts and many other states already have have mileage taxes in the form of toll highways, and those levies garner billions of dollars annually.

“The question we need to start asking ourselves is this: as the gas tax continues to decline and eventually runs out, as cars become exponentially more fuel-efficient, with what dollars do we reinvest?” Puglia said.

“How do we improve Metro-North?” Puglia said. “How do we fix major projects from Greenwich to Groton that were ignored by leaders for generations? We know exactly how Massachusetts will handle their infrastructure, they’ll use tolling dollars.”

Nonethless, state Sen. John Kissel, R-Enfield, said he plans to introduce legislation next year to defund the mileage tax pilot program.
“Connecticut should take a cue from Gov. Baker and abandon this costly mileage tax study,” Kissel said. “If you ask people on the street what they think of a tax on every mile you drive in your car, you would be hard pressed to find a single one who supports the idea.”

Boucher said the mileage tax is becoming an issue in the fall election, in part because the Democrats record on taxes and overspending.
“People I talk to are livid about this,” Boucher said. “People are waking up. The only way to fix this is to have people with different policies and voting records.”