Cutting taxes as bold as introducing them

Weicker’s name remains synonymous with the state’s tax in much the same way Gov. Dannel Malloy’s is with Connecticut’s mammoth pension debt. Both deserve credit for taking bold, unpopular positions to try to quell fiscal disarray.

At least we know the theme song of the 2023 General Assembly session.

There’s always one. Few were louder than when everyone raised their voices like honking horns about Gov. Ned Lamont’s proposal to revive tolls during his first year in office.

This one may not be quite as divisive, but not everyone will sing along in harmony. When he formally presents his budget to legislators Wednesday, Lamont will suggest the first cut in state income taxes in this century.

The only previous trim, in 1995, was minor. And no discussion about Connecticut taxes could possibly reach the fever pitch of the past. After a tax passed in 1971, the public response was so ugly (Twitter didn’t invent offensive discourse) that the genie was crammed back in the bottle 42 days later.

Enter Lowell Weicker in 1991. A prominent Republican who rose from the first selectman’s office in Greenwich to become a member of the U.S. Senate Watergate Committee, Weicker returned to politics as the flag holder of his own, independent, party three decades ago. He voiced no plans for a tax on the campaign trail, then pivoted after getting a closer look at the depth of the state’s debt after taking office.

To shove the income tax through, Weicker had to veto three budgets and push back by shutting down some government services. The public response was no kinder than it was in 1971 (some people spit on him).

But Weicker, arguably, has had the last laugh. His successors have had 32 years to repeal the income tax. No governor has come close. Weicker’s name remains synonymous with the state’s tax in much the same way Gov. Dannel Malloy’s is with Connecticut’s mammoth pension debt. Both deserve credit for taking bold, unpopular positions to try to quell fiscal disarray.

So now Lamont is taking a stand of his own, asking for the biggest cut in the tax since it started three decades ago by cutting the 5 percent rate to 4.5 percent. If you have started preparing your taxes, don’t hit the pause button. Even if this survives the session, it wouldn’t kick in until next year. But it would not be a one-time offer.

Lamont’s office claims the plan would be to the benefit of 1.1 million of the state’s 1.7 million households that file taxes. In short, middle-class joint filers would save about $600 per year, and their single counterparts would pocket about half that. There would be no tax for those earning less than $50,000.

“Today, Connecticut’s fiscal health is stronger than it’s been in decades,” Lamont said in a prelude to his budget presentation. “Considering the state’s strong financial position, it is time to provide tax relief for Connecticut’s residents.”

If there’s a danger here, it’s that the buzz over taxes will distract lawmakers from addressing more vital public needs. Some Republicans have responded by pointing out that Lamont is following through on themes they’ve composed in recent years, which is another way of expressing support. That doesn’t mean the governor will get reflexive, unanimous support from his own party.

It will help that the public won’t be spitting on the governor for this income tax proposal. Still, history has taught us that this song will probably not sound the same by session’s end.