Hartford Courant columnist Rick Green is noting the huge dichotomy between the recent anti-tax comments of Aetna's CEO and the raise-taxes stance of Better Choices For Connecticut.
Better Choices is a coalition of numerous groups, including New Haven-based Connecticut Voices For Children, CCAG, and the SEBAC state employees' coalition, that wants to increase the state income tax and estate tax in order to close the projected $3.7 billion state budget deficit.
"During these difficult economic times, demand for public services has spiked just as revenues have declined,'' said Maggie Adair of the Connecticut Association for Human Services. "This mismatch is at the heart of our budget problems, and we should not look first to slashing supports for families and communities when so many sensible revenue solutions are available.''
The coalition strongly supports the State Earned Income Tax Credit, which is being proposed by Malloy and has failed repeatedly in recent years because of a lack of support from Republicans, including then-Gov. M. Jodi Rell.