As the state legislature examines ways to generate new revenues, Bridgeport State Rep. Chris Rosario wants low-income residents exempted from paying tolls.
“People who are on state assistance, Husky, SNAP, veterans, seniors who are on fixed incomes those are the folks that I’m talking about. “Even though we don’t have tolls, some people say if we ever did it would be hardship.
… Rosario said the state needs tolls and adds, “Especially with our out of state drivers. It is a freeway. They are running through our state damaging our roads they are not paying a cent.”
But he said he has the backs of residents who can’t afford it. Rosario added, “I got elected to represent the 128th district. At the end of the day we are all state representatives and we have to look at everybody in the state of Connecticut.”
Full News 8 report here.
If Rep. Rosario really wants to do something productive for low income groups, he should tackle what I’ve been talking with him about since early 2014, the need to fix our broken judicial system!
Connecticut resident should NOT pay tolls inside our borders.
We are the taxation state and we suffer taxes other states do not.
If they want tolls then tax the out of state drivers coming into our borders and through our state like they tax us going everywhere inside theirs.
Do away with our car taxes and give us property tax credits, the out of staters can pay them for us in tolls.
Ditto for Anthony Dawson’s comment… Workers will get a de facto pay DECREASE — a new, unaffordable tax… Lamont is worried about taxing millionaires and billionaires, but not Connecticut’s underemployed, underpaid, over-taxed workers that are forced to commute to work from struggling cities and towns that have been stripped of their tax bases by skewed development policy in Connecticut that favors Stamford-Greenwich…
I’m not too bright. I do not understand the connection between poverty, tolls and the judiciary.
Would this require a judge and jury at every toll stop to determine income level and/or residency?
It’s politics that prompts Rep. Rosario to offer this suggestion. Who ever said “it never hurts to ask” hasn’t read my next post.
Antonio Dawson, your proposal is unconstitutional
So is the president Jeff
Blame it on Indiana! I like truckers and the things they bring to Connecticut. Trucker-only tolls have already sparked a lawsuit in Rhode Island. Their lawyers say “don’t tax the road in Rhode Island”.
Read the whole story here: https://www.thetruckersreport.com/indiana-toll-road-raises-tolls-35-truckers/
The majority of cars on Ct. roads & highways are Ct. residents so they should pay too ; aswell as out-side cars & trucks traveling through our state. You can pay now or you can pay later when car- ins. rates go up due to the car damages & accidents that are attributed to road or highway conditions. Trucks carrying consumer goods will charge more for delivering goods aswell, conditions of our roads will eventually hit everyone in the pockets. The longer it takes to find the money to do the job right, the more expensive it will get in New England. Lower income residents can pay a much lower cost same as senior citizens, however everyone must put into the roads & highways piggy-bank to be fair. However a bill must be passed that the money cannot be used for anything else in the state. ***
The car taxes here are out of control. Why don’t he work to end that, then maybe people can pay for tolls. I thought the Governor said he won’t implement tolls in this state. Again, lying politicians.