Fairfield's Lawmaker Targets Gas Taxes

FAIRFIELD COUNTY, Conn. — A new legislative session began just a few weeks ago in Hartford, and state Sen. John McKinney — a Republican who represents Fairfield, Weston, Easton and Newtown — opened up about his hopes for Connecticut. We asked McKinney five questions:

What is your overall goal going into this year's legislative session?

In even-number years the Connecticut General Assembly convenes in what is called a “short session” – three months instead of five. In the short session, with a few exceptions, the Legislature is constitutionally required to focus on matters concerning budgeting, revenue and finances.

My overall goal during this session is to reach agreement on a responsible, balanced budget that funds important government services, including education reforms and job-creation initiatives without raising taxes and with no net spending increases.

State government needs to be smarter and have the resolve to prioritize and make tough decisions. Democrats cannot keep asking taxpayers to throw money at our problems and hope they go away.

Are you going to introduce any bills this year? 

As the Republican leader in the Senate, I recently announced a comprehensive list of legislative priorities for the 2012 session. Those initiatives can be viewed on my website at www.SenatorMcKinney.com. I’ll highlight two of them here.

Capping the gas tax: Connecticut has some of the highest gas prices in the United States thanks in no small part to high taxes. Connecticut motorists pay a 25-cent excise tax on every gallon of gasoline, as well as another hidden tax called the petroleum gross receipts tax. The gross receipts tax is calculated at roughly 7.5 percent of the wholesale price of fuel, meaning it rises and falls with fluctuating gas prices. With the price of gas projected to rise to $4.50 per gallon this summer, I have proposed capping the gross receipts tax at current prices to protect consumers from future tax hikes.

Pension reform: Connecticut’s unfunded pension liability is $11.7 billion and the benefits we provide state employees at taxpayer expense are simply unsustainable. While Gov. Dannel Malloy prevented the state from changing the pension and health care benefits of current employees by extending the State Employees Bargaining Agent Coalition agreement to 2022, I have proposed to begin addressing the problem by enrolling all new state hires in less expensive 401(k)-type retirement plans as opposed to the current, and more expensive, defined benefits plans.

I am also working to end the practice of “pension padding,” whereby state employees are allowed to count overtime and longevity pay in their retirement calculations. These reforms will save taxpayers money and help to bring state employee benefits in line with those offered in the private sector.

What do you about repealing the current law that prohibits alcohol sales on Sundays?

"Sunday sales" is one of several sweeping proposals by the Malloy administration that threaten to put small, family-owned package stores out of business, warranting a careful and thorough review by the Legislature. I am opposed to Sunday sales and will work through the legislative process to protect Connecticut’s small businesses as they struggle to recover from the recession while facing higher taxes.

That said, I understand that people want to shop on Sundays. If the state moves to allow Sunday alcohol sales, perhaps a compromise can be reached limiting stores to selling liquor on any six days of the week. This would help to protect small package stores who do not have the resources to stay open seven days a week. 

Do you have any regrets from 2011? Is there any bill that you wish you could take back and why?

I do not have any personal regrets from the 2011 legislative session, but I do regret that Democrats in the Legislature supported Gov. Malloy in passing a woefully irresponsible budget that imposed the largest tax hike in state history and still managed to spend our state into deficit. It is almost unimaginable, but it is true. After raising taxes $1.8 billion last year alone, Connecticut faces a $220 million deficit today.

2011 was proof positive that we cannot tax our way out of Connecticut’s fiscal crisis. We must reduce the size and cost of government. Let’s hope the legislature gets it right in 2012.

What do you want your constituents to know going into 2012's session?

Gov. Malloy has deemed 2012 as the year of education and education reform is necessary and important. In fact, I share several of Gov. Malloy’s education priorities, including teacher tenure reform and increasing school choice through the support of charter schools. 

There are also some proposals in Gov. Malloy’s education agenda that I disagree with. One of them would impose forced regionalization on school districts with less than 1,000 students and would directly affect the town of Easton. The Easton-Redding school district is already regionalized, but this proposal would force them to further regionalize or face state funding reductions. I will lead the fight against this proposal.

But while education reform is an important priority, putting Connecticut back on sound economic footing must be our first priority. That means education reforms must be accomplished within existing state appropriations; not by increasing spending as Gov. Malloy has proposed.

Gov. Malloy’s new fiscal year 2013 budget calls for $329 million in new spending and creates budget deficits in 2014, 2015 and 2016 without providing any solution for closing them. This is the wrong direction for the state of Connecticut. 

I will continue to demand fiscal responsibility from the governor and the legislature by continuing to advocate a leaner, more efficient state government that our taxpayers can afford.

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