Good afternoon, Senator Fonfara, Representative Horn, and members of the Committee, and thank you for this opportunity to testify. My name is Marco Guzman and I’m a senior policy analyst with the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, or ITEP, and we’re a nonprofit research organization that focuses on state, local, and federal tax policy issues.
ITEP Work in Action
Advocates and policymakers at the state and federal levels rely on ITEP’s analytic capabilities to inform their debates on proposed tax policy changes. In any given year, ITEP fields requests for analyses of policies in 25 or more states. ITEP also works with national partners to provide analyses of federal tax policy proposals. This section highlights reports that use ITEP analyses to make a compelling case for progressive tax reforms.
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ITEP Work in Action March 11, 2024 ITEP’s Marco Guzman Testifies in Favor of Tax Fairness Bills in Connecticut
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ITEP Work in Action February 1, 2022 Connecticut Voices for Children: Steps to a Fairer Tax System
Although Connecticut has the second highest level of per capita personal income in the US, making it exceptionally wealthy overall, many families consistently struggle because Connecticut also has the second… -
ITEP Work in Action December 8, 2020 Connecticut Voices for Children: Advancing Economic Justice Through Tax Reform
Connecticut Voices for Children released a new report, “Advancing Economic Justice Through Tax Reform,” which proposes a tax restructure so that the system is fair for all residents. The report provides an… -
ITEP Work in Action January 15, 2020 Reforming Connecticut’s Tax System: A Program to Strengthen Working- and Middle-Class Families
Connecticut Voices for Children released a report that examined the state’s income and wealth inequality and the state’s regressive tax system that exacerbates these inequalities.
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ITEP Work in Action May 23, 2019 Connecticut Voices for Children: Impact of the FY 2020-2021 Appropriations and Finance Committee Budget and Revenue Proposals on Children and Families
The report recommends that state legislators and the Governor repeal the state’s Bond Lock, revise the volatility cap, and implement additional tax reforms that begin to correct the state’s regressive… -
ITEP Work in Action May 10, 2019 Connecticut Voices for Children: Voices from the Capitol: Countdown to the End of the Session
Staff experts from our national partners – Elizabeth McNichol of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities and Aidan Davis of the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy – joined… -
ITEP Work in Action April 26, 2019 Connecticut Voices for Children: Testimony Supporting H.B. No. 7415
Smart state fiscal policies can play a critical role in building strong, equitable state economies. It is time we fix our tax laws to give working people and children a… -
ITEP Work in Action April 10, 2019 Connecticut Voices for Children: Even with Modest Capital Gains Tax, Wealthiest Would Pay Average of $36,000 Less in Taxes After Trump Tax Cuts
Connecticut faces a $4 billion deficit over the Fiscal Years 2020-21 biennial budget. Without adequate revenues, painful budget cuts that could fall heavily on children and families are inevitable. Read… -
ITEP Work in Action April 10, 2019 Connecticut Voices for Children: A Balanced Approach to Revenues: Ensuring Fairness and Adequacy
As the General Assembly develops its biennial budget facing a $4 billion deficit, Connecticut Voices for Children urges legislators and the Governor to adopt a balanced approach by adopting revenue… -
ITEP Work in Action March 31, 2019 Connecticut Voices for Children: Impact of the Governor’s FY 2020-2021 Budget on Children and Families
Connecticut’s long-term fiscal health and economic growth depend on policies that improve equity and support our most vulnerable families and children. Governor Lamont’s proposed state budget avoids additional major cuts… -
ITEP Work in Action March 31, 2019 Connecticut Voices for Children: Connecticut’s Radical New Budget Rules: Locking in Decreased Investment in our State for the Next Decade
Faced with increasingly difficult decisions in crafting the Fiscal Year (FY) 2018-19 biennial budget, the Connecticut General Assembly found itself at an impasse. In order to break the log jam,… -
ITEP Work in Action October 19, 2018 Eagle Pass Business Journal: Report: Low-Income Taxpayers Pay Most in Connecticut
The report, by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy and Connecticut Voices for Children, found the state’s lowest-income earners pay 41 percent more of their income in taxes than wealthier residents. According to Jamie Mills, director of fiscal policy and economic inclusion at Children’s Voices of Connecticut, taken as a whole the tax system in the Nutmeg State is upside down – because, as in many other states, the tax on personal income is only part of total tax revenue.
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ITEP Work in Action April 11, 2017 Connecticut Voices for Children: Testimony Supporting H.B. No. 7316 – An Act Concerning Evaluation of Business Assistance and Incentive Programs H.B. No. 7313 – An Act Imposing a Surcharge on Income Derived From Investment Management
At Connecticut Voices for Children, we view the state budget as the clearest statement of Connecticut’s policy priorities. We believe that these priorities should advance long-term inclusive economic prosperity, equity… -
ITEP Work in Action March 9, 2017 Connecticut Voices for Children: Testimony Regarding S.B. No. 787 – AAC Revenue Items To Implement the Governor’s Budget
At Connecticut Voices for Children, we view the state budget as the clearest statement of Connecticut’s policy priorities. We believe that these priorities should advance long-term inclusive economic prosperity, equity… -
ITEP Work in Action March 3, 2017 Connecticut Voices for Children: Testimony Regarding Estate and Gift Taxes and Exempting Retirement Income: SB 5, SB 58, HB 6358, SB 6, SB 272, HB 6558, and HB 5587
Exemptions to Pensions and Social Security – Exempting retirement income would not only cause immediate revenue deterioration, but given the state’s aging population, could threaten long-term adequacy of the income… -
ITEP Work in Action January 18, 2017 Connecticut Voices for Children: Revenue Options are Key to Addressing Budget Shortfalls and Supporting Thriving Communities
Long-term investments in children and families have been the cornerstone of the state’s prosperity. To preserve these investments and support long term economic health, a balanced approach to the upcoming… -
ITEP Work in Action January 9, 2017 Connecticut Voices for Children: Impact of the Final FY 2017 Budget on Children and Families
“Following hundreds of millions of dollars in budget cuts in Fiscal Year 2016, Connecticut policymakers tackled the nearly $1 billion budget deficit in Fiscal Year 2017 (FY 17) by adopting… -
ITEP Work in Action May 2, 2016 Connecticut Voices for Children: Impact of the Governor’s, Republican, and Democrat Proposed FY 2017 Budget on Children and Families
“Following hundreds of millions in dollars of cuts to health, human services and education to close a billion dollar budget hole in Fiscal Year 2016 (FY 16), lawmakers are once… -
ITEP Work in Action March 15, 2016 Connecticut Voices for Children: Revenue Options are Crucial to Maintaining Public Investments that Promote Prosperity
In confronting the financial crisis looming over state budget decisions, the common-sense choice for Connecticut should be a balanced approach that includes revenue, rather than a cuts-only approach that threatens… -
ITEP Work in Action August 11, 2015 Connecticut Voices for Children: Impact of the Final FY 2016 Budget on Children and Families
The State of Connecticut’s final FY 16 budget, improved from earlier proposals, still balances on children and families’ finite resources, this analysis finds. While funding the “Children’s Budget” – state… -
ITEP Work in Action March 18, 2015 Connecticut Voices for Children: Funding Our Future: Child and Family Friendly Revenue Options
An analysis by the Institute of Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) of Washington, D.C. found that adjusting top rates to the levels in the table below would impact only two… -
ITEP Work in Action February 9, 2015 Connecticut Voices for Children: Families First, Prosperity for All: Making Connecticut’s Tax and Benefit System More Family-Friendly
Connecticut’s tax system is uniquely unfriendly to families. Connecticut is one of only two states with an income tax that does not offer tax credits or exemptions to adjust for… -
ITEP Work in Action May 21, 2014 Connecticut Voices for Children: Making Children Visible in Connecticut’s Tax Code
This issue brief from the Fiscal Policy Center at Connecticut Voices for Children identifies a feature of the Connecticut tax system that effectively penalizes households with children, relative to households… -
ITEP Work in Action May 16, 2014 Connecticut Voices for Children: Pro-Family Tax Reform in Connecticut: A Roadmap for Improvement
This report from the Fiscal Policy Center at Connecticut Voices for Children compares Connecticut’s tax system to those of other states and finds: Connecticut is nearly alone among states in… -
ITEP Work in Action May 16, 2013 Connecticut Voices for Children: Who Pays Taxes in Connecticut?
This brief finds that Connecticut’s wealthiest residents pay a smaller share of their income in state and local taxes than middle-income and low-income residents. Read the Full Report