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“If you thought the idea of tolls was unpopular, just wait until you try to tax Connecticut residents for every single mile they drive,” Boucher said. "That tax will hit drivers every day. It will hit you everywhere you go, even if you are driving to a hospital emergency room."
"The state needs to prioritize how it spends taxpayers’ money and direct that money to the right places, but the current leadership in Hartford has not shown the willingness to do that," Boucher continued. "I would also note that in the places where the mileage tax has been introduced, it has been highly unpopular and has received a stinging response from the public. Connecticut Republicans will be fighting this mileage tax idea until it stalls permanently, and we invite Connecticut motorists to join us.”
The mileage tax was proposed in Connecticut in July 2015 at a meeting of Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s Transportation Finance Panel.
Republicans immediately spoke out against the tax.
Democrat lawmakers were initially open to the proposal, but denounced it after a wave of public criticism.
The idea, however, reappeared in January in the Transportation Finance Panel’s final report, which included proposals to pay for the governor’s $100 billion transportation plan.
The report discussed Oregon’s voluntary mileage-based user fee pilot program and recommended that “State agencies should be directed to design a volunteer pilot program that looks to potentially one day replace the state fuel tax with a manageable VMT system.”
Like Boucher, Fasano is critical of such a proposal.
“More taxes and more burdens on Connecticut drivers is not the way to improve transportation in our state,” he said. “Last year Democrat lawmakers promised this idea was not going anywhere. Now almost a year later, and it’s back on the table.
“The governor’s proposed transportation plan is not realistic, and the people of Connecticut cannot be expected to shoulder any more burdens. Republicans have an alternative transportation plan that requires no new taxes and no tolls. A mileage tax is not the solution to Connecticut’s problems.”
Boucher represents the 26th Senate District, including the towns of Bethel, New Canaan, Redding, Ridgefield, Weston, Westport and Wilton.
Fasano represents Durham, East Haven, North Haven and Wallingford.
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