The Connecticut General Assembly passed a $37.9 billion, two-year budget on Friday that Gov. M. Jodi Rell was expected to veto. The Senate approved the budget on Thursday and the House passed it Friday afternoon. Neither chamber had sufficient votes to override a veto.
A spokesman for Rell, a Republican, said that the Democratic budget contained “unaffordable tax increases” and made no progress in reducing the cost of government. Rell had pushed for spending cuts over tax increases while Democrats had said that many of the cuts were too deep. The governor would make a decision on whether to veto the budget after reviewing it, the spokesman said.
The Democratic-led General Assembly passed a budget that would impose higher income taxes on individuals making $265,000 or more and couples earning $500,000 or more that was projected to raise an additional $1.5 billion over two years. The budget would also impose additional taxes on corporations and cigarettes, as well as increase the estate tax, to raise $800 million over the biennium which begins July 1.
Lawmakers have to close a budget gap that the governor’s office put at $7.95 billion, while the General Assembly numbers put it at $8.7 billion.
Legislative leaders on Friday sent a letter to Rell asking her to either sign the budget bill or begin budget negotiations on Monday.
