The article by Keith Phaneuf, CT Mirror, printed in the Courant on Sept. 8, states “a record-high 581,000 Connecticut households, about 40%, couldn’t afford a basic ’survival’ budget in 2023, according to a new analysis from the United Way of Connecticut.”
It states that more than 60% of families in our major 3 cities, and other poor cities, fall below this survival budget threshold.
This is an issue our legislature, and governor, must address. We are one of the wealthiest states in the wealthiest country in the world, with one of the highest income inequalities between our wealthiest 10,000+ households, our top 1%, which reportedly earn multiples of $1,000,000 per year, compared to the 40% of our households cited in the article as struggling to meet their basic needs.
We can do something about this: Connecticut can increase the fractional share of taxes paid by the top 1%, who pay a lower fraction of their income in taxes than do the lowest 40%, thereby raising billions of dollars which can be used to provide additional support to help the 40% of families survive.
Gov. Ned Lamont, who along with his Fairfield County neighbors, is himself very wealthy, has been adamantly opposed to this. A fractional increase in their taxes will not affect their lifestyle one whit. Let us urge him, and our legislators, to do the right thing — to enact legislation now to help our poorest neighbors.
Courtney B. Bourns, West Hartford
