Noujaim Opposes Huge Tax and Spending Increase
Waterbury Legislator Says Budget Hurts Taxpayers and Business

HARTFORD- State representative Selim Noujaim today voted in opposition of the proposed biennial budget offered at the House of Representatives. Noujaim cited the massive increase in taxes and spending that made the budget impossible for him to support.

The budget package breaks the spending cap by $110 million, spends $650 million from this year’s surplus, and includes almost $738 million in new taxes. It employs $300 million each year in one-time revenue gimmicks that eventually leads to increased spending by 8.9%.

Representative Noujaim spoke against the budget on the floor of the House of Representatives during the early hours of debate. He noted the impact it will have on small business.

“On the surface, this kind of budget looks okay, in that the average person doesn’t appear to get hurt. I work for a small business,” said Representative Noujaim. “The typical small business spends an enormous amount in health insurance. As the plan administrator, I pay $1300 a month per family in my business, which is about $9 an hour. Add that to workman’s compensation, unemployment, regulations, cost of living, and Connecticut is an incredibly expensive place to do business. This hurts the business, it hurts the employees, and it hurts the overall economy”. As businesses struggle, unemployment will rise, and disposable income would diminish, meaning that people will no longer be able to spend money shopping, at restaurants, or to purchase goods and services for their families. The ripple effect would be detrimental on the entire community.”

Noujaim also noted that the budget sets aside $18 million over the biennium as a slush fund. The majority defeated an amendment to give a tax break to Veterans with some of those funds.

“It appears as though it is more important for the leaders of this chamber to have patronage and pet projects to give money away for than it is to give tax relief for those who honorably served our country in armed conflict,” said Representative Noujaim.

Additionally, Representative Noujaim objected to the gimmick used in the teacher retirement fund, whereby, teachers were told that $100 million for the surplus would be deposited into their pension funds. What they were not told is that the budget under funds the plan by $35 millions in 2005 and another $35 million in 2006.