Progressives urge Lamont to make permanent tax relief for the poor

While Gov. Ned Lamont touted plans Wednesday to share one-time federal COVID relief funds with Connecticut’s working poor, progressive reformers urged him next to secure permanent relief for low- and middle-income families.

But that would require spending the state’s money, not distributing aid from Washington — which the fiscally moderate-to-conservative governor has been wary about since the coronavirus struck Connecticut almost two years ago.

“The reality is a lot of these families were struggling before the pandemic, probably struggling during the pandemic, and they will struggle after the pandemic,” Sen. John Fonfara, D-Hartford said during a midday online press conference with Lamont.

The Democratic governor was touting his plan to share $75 million in expiring federal coronavirus relief funds with nearly 200,000 working poor households in Connecticut — an average of about $375 per household.

Read more: https://ctmirror.org/2022/01/12/progressives-urge-lamont-to-make-permanent-tax-relief-for-the-poor/