Sen. Guglielmo: This so-called surplus is an illusion.

L to R, Sen. Scott Frantz (Greenwich) and Sen. Tony Guglielmo (Stafford) sharing a laugh during opening day of the 2014 legislative session in Hartford.

Hartford, CT – State Senator Tony Guglielmo (R-Stafford) released the following statement today re: Governor’s state of the state speech on opening day of the 2014 legislative session.

“The speech was breath taking in that there was so much that was not accurate. The surplus is an illusion. This administration is not paying down debt and is using gimmicks to claim we have financial stability. The reality is the Office of Fiscal Analysis – an independent office – reports a nearly $2 billion deficit in 2016 and 2017. Everyone in the room knows that and yet it was not talked about in his speech.

“We keep moving ahead and borrowing money to just give it away. Prior administrations did it too. It simply is not right. The corporate welfare this administration doles out is irresponsible. Wildly successful companies like ESPN, Starwood and Jackson Labs benefit from government handouts, but the taxpayer gets burned. We saw it with Pfizer when they picked up and left after taking our money. I do believe in some of the investments in small businesses because there is a difference. Small businesses are less likely to leave because they have roots in the community. Many times the owners have grown up in Connecticut and have family here and are engrained in the community. Large international corporations are responsible to shareholders not taxpayers. As a taxpayer I don’t see the rational in giving them so much of our hard earned money.

“What was in the speech was troubling. What was left out of the speech was more troubling. Once again the administration wants to kick the can down the road. Unless things change we will see large deficits in FY 2016 and FY 2017 and more tax increases to cover the bills. People can’t afford more taxes. People are barely keeping pace and are falling behind. We as a legislature need to evaluate our priorities and use some restraint when considering new ideas.”

The administration’s budget recommendations and proposals will be debated by lawmakers in Hartford over the next 90 days. The legislative session will end in May.