A largely friendly crowd of union members and Democrats came out Monday night to greet Gov. Dannel P. Malloy in Hartford - a city that supported him by more than 7 to 1 in the election as he became the first Democratic governor in two decades.
They did not complain much at Malloy's town hall meeting about his plans to hike the state income tax, boost the sales tax, and impose a "luxury tax'' on high-end cars, jewelry and yachts that has prompted opposition in Fairfield County.
Instead, they called on Malloy to tax the rich, and they cheered the idea of increasing taxes on corporations.
After one speaker asked Malloy to close loopholes that favor the wealthy, Malloy said, "There are lots of things in this budget for you to be proud of, including the throwback rule.''
The "throwback rule'' is a complicated tax that would raise corporate taxes by $40 million over the next two years and is strongly opposed by the 10,000-member Connecticut Business and Industry Association, the state's largest business lobby.
During a mixture of positive and negative comments from the crowd, several speakers said they had worked on Malloy's campaign last fall and others wore shirts that sported union affiliations.
The gathering of about 300 people was the 8th town hall meeting that Malloy has held as he travels around the state to explain his two-year, $40 billion budget that is designed to close a projected $3.3 billion deficit in the fiscal year that starts in July. Malloy will travel to his hometown of Stamford tonight and then New Haven on Wednesday. He heads next Monday to Greenwich, where the state legislators have expressed opposition to Malloy's proposed tax hikes.
