It took less than an hour for Gov. M. Jodi Rell to veto the Democrats tax package Thursday with just days left in the legislative session.
“The people of Connecticut don’t want to see games played at the Capitol – they want us to finish our work: pass a budget, pass an energy plan, pass a health care plan and adjourn on time,” Rell said in a press release. “With a little ‘give and take’ we can do just that.”
Democrats in the House and the Senate were quick to respond.
Speaker James Amann, D-Milford, said “The Governor has shown no interest in working with Democrats to create a fair, progressive tax system, but I really thought she was serious about a gas tax summer holiday – apparently I was wrong.”
“The Governor is playing a game of bait and switch with the citizens of Connecticut and has been unmasked as not sharing our belief that people need relief. The time has come for the Governor to finally come to the table and seriously negotiate a budget with the Legislature. Time is short and we both have a responsibility to the citizens of this state to get the job done.”
Senate President Donald Williams, D-Brooklyn, said, “The governor has chosen to say ‘no’ to tax relief for millions of taxpayers in Connecticut and instead has sided with the very small percentage of the state’s wealthiest residents.”
Senate Majority Leader Martin Looney, D-New Haven, said, “Clearly the governor is more interested in protecting the small percentage of the wealthiest residents than she is in cutting the gas tax for the summer. In the end, the middle class, working families and the driving public lose with this veto by the governor.”