Mario H. Lopez: State beverage tax would hurt CT economy
Like a lot of supposedly well-meaning attempts by politicians to exert more control over products that they don’t like, Gov. Ned Lamont’s recent proposal to impose the country’s first statewide beverage tax is doomed to backfire. In fact, a beverage tax will damage Connecticut’s ability to keep jobs in the state as families are already dealing with the high cost of living in Connecticut.
The reality is that a regressive tax like a beverage tax will only make things worse economically, especially for people working paycheck to paycheck and small businesses who are working to keep their doors open and their employees gainfully employed. If the governor and legislators are trying to do what is best for Connecticut’s residents, their economic priority should focus on improving job opportunities, not shipping them out of the state.