Connecticut Governor Jodi Rell (R) is proposing a budget that increases the financial burden on drivers by $171M in order to close the state’s growing $850m deficit. Rell’s plan increases license and registration fees, imposes freeway speed cameras and assesses new charges on speeding tickets. If implemented, the programs would represent a permanent and steadily increasing source of revenue for the state.
“Governor Rell has produced a two-year spending plan that does not rely on any increased taxes,” the official budget summary explained. “The governor is keenly aware that the last thing our economy needs now is more money flowing from taxpayers’ wallets into the government’s hands.”
Under the proposal, $70M a year would flow from the wallets of drivers into the hands of a private company operating four speed cameras on Interstate 95. That company would then place $35M into the government’s hands after accounting for the expenses of operating the fixed and mobile devices. Rell has already put pressure on the state police to meet budget targets by increasing the number of speeding citations issued. The force responded with a sixteen percent boost that brought the total number of tickets issued last year to 75k.
As more drivers get those speeding tickets, more would qualify for the proposed “driver responsibility program” that would impose a point and citation tax of up to $2000 on ticket recipients. The same idea has succeeded in bringing over a billion dollars in revenue to Michigan, New Jersey, New York and Texas (details). Rell’s budget conservatively estimated the new revenue at $27M plus another $32.5M from increasing the base cost of speeding tickets. In Virginia the abuser fee concept was so unpopular that Governor Tim Kaine (D) was forced last year not only to repeal the law but also to refund the fees already collected, admitting that the program failed to improve public safety.
Rell rounded out her proposal by “updating” driver’s license and registration fees so that motorists would hand over another $72.4M to the state Department of Motor Vehicles.
The full plan requires approval of the state legislature which last year turned down the speed camera idea when the budget deficit stood at just $165M.
Here’s how you can save 800mill Jody: bulldoze Bridgeport into the Sound…hee hee. What a dump, filled with welfare-suckling miscreants who love nothing more than to steal what’s not bolted down and vandalize what is. Of course I’m kidding, but c’mon there have to be better ways to do this. What’s the deal with demonizing driving lately? Don’t politicians realize that people have to drive to work, to the store to buy stuff, to the movies, to the restaurant. You want a sure Depression? Restrict driving.
So instead of raising income or sales tax (an apparent political hot potato), you are basically just taxing anyone with a vehicle (and those “scofflaws” who dare speed). On top of that, half of the ticket revenue disappears down a private company shaped hole instead of helping the state’s bottom line.
All this instead of making the tough decisions and cutting the state budget of any an all superfluous spending. Wow, our political system is really that screwed up.
When even in blue states, the Republicans succeeded in making everybody think that every single government agency in the world is 100% waste and can thus ALWAYS “cut more”, and that taxes are the devil’s work, what did you expect would happen?
I’m amazed California even considered raising their gas tax (of course, they’re combining it with cutting off all state support for transit systems).
golf4me
also the most important thing drivers will be doing: driving to the voting booths.
Further proof that neither party has the market cornered on bad ideas, political laziness and shooting the other foot that isn’t already all shot up.
I’m sure there’s just absolutely nothing left to cut in the budget. Absolutely nothing.
And here’s how the good people of Connecticut should respond. Immediately boycott all restaurants, bars, movie theaters, etc – basically discontinue all non essential spending/driving. Perhaps a sudden drop in tax revenues related to gas, sales tax etc would send a message. I know… it isn’t going to happen, but hey…
golf4me :
Having worked in Bridgeport I always thought that the state should sponsor bulldozer races from Stratford to Fairfield. They could sell tickets to help earn extra revenue as well.
Bancho: LMFAO!
Don’t just complain. Call Governor Rell’s office and tell her what you think, as I just did. Here’s the number
860-566-4840
As more drivers get those speeding tickets, more would qualify for the proposed “driver responsibility program” that would impose a point and citation tax of up to $2000 on ticket recipients.
If she really wants to improve safety, how about ticketing the drivers who camp in the passing lane? Oh, I forgot, they are traveling the speed limit, so that automatically makes them “safe.”
That’s nothing, California is raising vehicle license fees by 50% and gas tax by $0.12 per gallon. This will put more into the state’s version of the fed’s social security fund. These taxes and fees are supposed to be dedicated to maintainng and improving the highways, secondary roads, etc. throughout the state (like social security funds are for retirees), but what happens is the state “borrows” money from the fund each year to support general fund programs and replaces it with an IOU. I don’t know about Connecticutt, but California has an easy solution to its budget deficit. However, it’s one that no politician will touch with a ten foot pole. Stop providing social services to illegal aliens. It’s much easier to raise taxes on evil car owners, borrow against future state lottery earnings (supposedly ear-marked for education spending when the lotto was first proposed to voters), and lay off employees in non-essential services like the Department of Public Health, Caltrans, etc.
Well at least they’re admitting that speeding tickets are about generating revenue and not safety.
@golf4me:
“…filled with welfare-suckling miscreants who love nothing more than to steal what’s not bolted down and vandalize what is.”
Put “corporate” in front of “welfare” and it’s an even better description of Greenwich!
What did you expect? Everyone wants “free” stuff from the government. How you gonna pay for it?
People criticize the UAW and Detroit for agreeing to legal terms for things that can no longer be supported. Take a look a the gov. They’re in the same position. Bonds that MUST be repaid, with interest, union agreements, etc. They should never have been agreed to when times are good, but unfortunately focusing on the today in the government means the problems in the future are left to whoever is in office in the future. Not my problem syndrome.
Its happening here in Chicago. 100 year lease on the Skyway for billions. Leasing Midway airport. Parking operations. The idea being a massive current cash infusion at this time. What are we gonna do in 20 years when the city continues to spend what it doesn’t have and suddenly all revenue sources have been sold off to outside parties? You know the gov is gonna waste away that cash infusion. That’s what governments do. Waste the money they have, then find ways to get more and waste it again.
The longer this type of stuff goes on, the more spending that keeps getting worse, etc, the more I get cynical about this country. Very little responsibility, very little making of hard choices, just a pass-the-buck attitude that ultimately lands on “good” people. And those who really would be worthwhile in government won’t touch that work with a 10 foot pole because of the negative view most people have towards politicians. So instead we get career politicians who don’t care about those they’re supposed to represent who are re-elected over and over simply because nobody truly good will run, those that do can’t get the funding because they don’t have 20 years of built up political connections, and because voters don’t take the responsibility to actually research candidates before they place their votes.
Its disgusting. All of it.
This is how you lose the next election. If I was in Connecticut I would go to the local gas station and start a recall petition with all of the pissed off drivers. Do the same at the DMV and you have a new governor.
Taxachusetts is watching closely for good ideas to implement, just as like they watched Mao back in the day.
Methinks the real estate market, both residential and commercial, in no income tax, no sales tax, no MC helmet or seatbelt law, gun on every hip New Hampshire has just about bottomed out……. It must feel nice being the only somewhat civilized place left in all of New England. Not to mention one of the precious few left in all of America.
Why not make it $342 million, and get the job done in half the time?
A little surprising, coming from a Republican.
One way motorists can fight back: drive the speed limit.
Seriously, how about cutting the budget, rather than socking it to the taxpayer yet again? Does anyone actually move into Connecticut?
And the comments just confirm what I said in my first one.
Ten or so people suggesting cutting the budget (as if there’s an infinite amount of cuts that can, or even should, be made); a bunch of cracks about how awful taxes are.
The truly funny part is that so many people in Connecticut who drive a lot live there because they work in NYC and didn’t want to pay the taxes to support that government. Oops.
You get the government you deserve. You really deserve this one.
@ stuki
New Hampshire was a lot more civilized before half of Taxachusetts decided to come up here and try to get Mass. services on a NH budget. We have a comparably large deficit problem here now.
Connecticut…with the possible exception of Lime Rock, a place to be avoided at all costs. Remember they used to be a “RADAR DETECTORS ILLEGAL” state. I’m still ticked about the $289 speeding ticket I got about 10 years ago on (the wide open part) of I 84. The LAST thing they need is more aggressive speed enforcement.
@fiasco, you’re just spoilt……
Kidding aside, there was a reason I put ‘somewhat’ in there. But still, you guys have it pretty good compared to your blatantly bent over, robbed and oppressed neighbors. There is a reason why the migration flow generally goes from the police states to you, not the other way around. A similar thing happened to Colorado in the 90’s, and by now it’s hardly better than Pelosiland.
You’d think the clowns would one day realize the reason your state is so alluring, is specifically because dimwits like themselves haven’t had much say in shaping its policy. But I guess being that perceptive, would kind of disqualify them from dimwit status in the first place.
Traffic enforcement isn’t a top priority of the police in CT. I take my customers on test drives with no plate whatsoever, and most of the time I just carry one on my lap.
Unless you’re a complete ass, they don’t bother you. But the tickets are very expensive when they do.
@gslippy
One way motorists can fight back: drive the speed limit.
The reaction in my county seems to be to drive 10 mph under the speed limit–everywhere. Especially for immigrants from non English (or Spanish) speaking countries who may be getting the tickets without making the connection to the camera locations or machines.
I say not Spanish speaking because in my limited watching of Spanish-language local TV news, not much gets past them.
Few governors are even considering the possibility of cutting state spending, after all it’s all essential to our lives daily.
Patrickj, gslippy:
One way motorists can fight back: drive the speed limit.
I’m surprised no one in the MSM has ever done any study on how large a joke most interstate speed limits are.
There were those college kids who You-Tubed themselves driving cars in line formation in every lane at 55mph around Atlanta (I think). Other drivers went nuts.