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June 2006 — Vol. 84 , No. 5

FROM THE PRESIDENT

Governor, legislators agree on steps to improve state’s economy and job growth

By John R. Rathgeber

CBIA President and CEO

 

Earlier this year Gov. Rell and all four legislative leaders pledged to focus on improving economic growth and job creation in Connecticut. The business community thanks them for delivering on that promise.

Working together, legislators passed several important pro-growth measures. They voted to:

  • Phase out the property tax on manufacturing machinery and equipment, which has been a significant deterrent for manufacturers to locate or expand in Connecticut.

  • Eliminate the 15% corporate tax surcharge in 2007.

  • Go forward with a $2.3 billion transportation plan focused on improving mass transit and easing highway congestion. This marks the second year in a row Gov. Rell and legislators have acted to make sure our state has the infrastructure needed for businesses to participate in the global economy.

  • Support several bills to enhance education and workforce training.

The business community also applauds the efforts of lawmakers who helped defeat bills that would have hurt our economy and job creation. These bills included the “play or pay” health care tax, the “captive audience” bill and an anti-outsourcing bill that would have impaired Connecticut’s ability to engage in the global economy.

This year’s legislative session is a testament to the hard work and bipartisan efforts of the administration and legislators to move forward with a pro-growth, pro-jobs agenda that will make Connecticut better and stronger. Now the challenge will be to build on this year’s success and to keep our economic competitiveness a top priority.

I especially want to thank all of you who contacted legislators about these and other critical issues throughout this year’s legislative session. Please take a few minutes more to thank them for their support.