This legislative session, a Connecticut group will be pushing for higher taxes on the ultra-wealthy, as part of a nationwide movement to counter deep cuts to state budgets under the Trump administration.
The federal tax and spending bill gives major tax breaks to the rich, while making sweeping changes to safety net programs like Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. Groups from each state plan to deliver letters to their governors in the coming weeks, calling for a change to state tax code as one solution to the administration’s cuts.
“Thousands of families stand to lose access to critical housing, food, and health care supports. There is still time to mitigate this harm, but we must act now,” said Norma Martinez HoSang, coalition director, Connecticut For All.
Rev. Scott Marks, director of New Haven Rising and a member of the coalition, spoke on a recent mobilization call about the effort.
“The Trump tax cuts for billionaires are opening up attacks on working families and our community, stripping away the essential services people rely on,” Marks said. “We cannot stand idly by. We’ve got to stand up like never before.”
As a state with major wealth inequality, Marks said Connecticut needs a local solution with policy that puts people over profits, “to build the future that we deserve.”
Advocates pointed to Massachusetts, where in 2022 voters approved a 4% surcharge on its residents who make over $1 million. That policy change raked in billions of dollars for public investments, advocates said.
Connecticut For All said it would share details about its proposal Feb. 2, two days before state lawmakers reconvene at the state Capitol for the 2026 legislative session.
