Connecticut GOP lawmakers counter with their own plan to reduce energy prices

Connecticut Republicans are proposing to reduce the cost of electricity by removing state taxes and surcharges from customer invoices.

Rolling back those charges could save the average Connecticut household $210 a year, said state Senate Republican Leader Kevin Kelly, as he announced the GOP’s energy proposal on Tuesday.

The only thing that should be on our electric bill should be the cost of electricity. There shouldn’t be anything else there, whether it’s a tax, whether it’s a public choice,” he said.

“There are many costs embedded into our bills that are policies that lawmakers have passed. Some of them are laudable. But they are all paid for by the ratepayers,“ said Vincent Candelora, the Republican House minority leader.

“We have sales tax and gross receipts taxes on those bills that are all put on top of our ratepayers,” Candelora said.

The GOP plan would pay for those charges in the budget.

“If you migrate a lot of these policies to the budget, they would be continued as is, and we probably agree that many of them should be,” said state Senator Ryan Fazio, the ranking Republican on the Energy Committee.

The Democrats’ energy plan was announced last week. It includes more state funding to assist low-income households afford their energy bills.

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