HAMDEN, CT — Republican nominee for Governor, Senator Ryan Fazio, today unveiled a comprehensive property tax relief plan developed in consultation with municipal leaders, business owners, taxpayers, state legislative leaders, and local government organizations across Connecticut.
Announced outside the home of lifelong Hamden resident and senior citizen Paula Roche, the proposal includes a four-part strategy to deliver meaningful, long-term property tax relief for Connecticut homeowners and taxpayers who continue to face some of the highest property taxes in the nation.
“Connecticut families need leadership and relief,” said Fazio. “For more than eight years, politicians have talked about affordability while property taxes continue to rise and families continue to struggle. My plan will provide real relief, confront the root causes of increasing property taxes, and cap property tax growth for the future.”
“It seems like in our own budgets, we are always making cuts, but the state never seems to have to spend less,” said Paula Roche, a senior citizen and lifelong resident of Hamden whose husband, Gregory, died in 2017. “It’s difficult for so many of us to keep up with property taxes here. They’re becoming the single biggest expense I have each year.”
Connecticut currently has the third-highest property tax burden in the country, according to the Tax Foundation. Rising municipal costs, unfunded state mandates, inequities in the tax system, and unpredictable state funding have forced towns and cities to rely increasingly on local property taxpayers.
“Your property tax bill shouldn’t feel like a second mortgage. Spiraling tax bills are unacceptable, and the problem has only gotten worse under eight years of Governor Lamont,” Fazio said. “As governor, I will change course and deliver comprehensive relief. That starts with providing mandate and cost relief to our towns and cities, ensuring steady and predictable funding, and capping property tax increases for the future. You and your neighbors, like Paula Roche in Hamden, deserve better than the unaffordable property taxes you are currently facing.”
Fazio’s proposal focuses on four major reforms designed to address the underlying drivers of property tax increases:
- Eliminate Costly Unfunded Mandates
- Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) Reform
- Stable and Predictable Funding for Municipalities
- Cap Property Tax Increases
“Other states have successfully implemented similar reforms and avoided the rapidly increasing property taxes that Connecticut families have been forced to pay. There is no good reason Connecticut cannot and should not enact a property tax cap for families across our state,” Fazio said.
“I built a house for my family here in 1994 and have owned a business in town for 29 years. My kids both went through the Hamden school system. During that time, my property taxes on my home have increased by 4.5 times. The taxes on my building are outrageous,” said Vincent Palumbo, a lifelong resident of Hamden and owner of Raymon Tool, a manufacturing business that employs 10 people in Hamden.
Fazio also criticized Governor Ned Lamont’s record on education funding and affordability.
“You will likely hear Governor Lamont claim that he has helped in some ways,” Fazio said. “But the facts tell a different story. Over seven years of budgets and budget adjustments, Governor Lamont has signed mandates requiring municipalities and property taxpayers to absorb additional costs without providing offsetting funding. As tax bills continued to rise, he offered no vision or leadership to address the problem. He had eight years to act and chose not to. Connecticut families deserve change.”
Fazio emphasized that meaningful property tax relief requires partnership among state leaders, municipalities, taxpayers, and the private sector.