Governor Malloy is a Fairfield County guy. But a new series of taxes and surcharges proposed by the former Stamford mayor — and under serious consideration by state officials — could hit suburban towns like Westport far more than less affluent communities, and large cities.
Among the revenue-producing proposals:
- State taxes — in addition to property taxes levied by towns — on homes greater than 6,000 square feet, and/or with “more than two garage bays,” as well as on cars and trucks whose purchase price exceeds $29,999
- “Excess water use” surcharges, implemented for users who surpass statewide averages (presumably for activities like lawn watering and filling swimming pools)
- A fee, paid monthly by employers, for any “au pair, nanny, or other childcare-giver employed directly by parents or guardians within a family.”
The draft legislation “may impact some citizens more than others,” Malloy acknowledges.
But, he says, “ultimately all of us in Connecticut bear some responsibility for helping raise the revenue this state desperately needs.”
For a full list of many more proposed taxes and surcharges — most of which could disproportionately target Westporters — click here.
Westporters who own homes like these — with swimming pools and (presumably) garages with more than 2 bays — would be hit with special taxes, under a proposed plan.