News

CT’s William Tong joined coalition of state AGs to challenge Education Department’s interpretation of civil rights laws.

Middle-class families would get a tax break under a revenue plan that cleared the Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee Wednesday, while the wealthiest earners in the state could pay more.

The finance committee proposed a 1.75% surcharge on capital gains earnings on individuals making over $1 million and couples over $2 million.

It took nearly 10 hours, but the Appropriations Committee approved a draft of a two-year, 2026-27 state budget Tuesday that represents an increase over the one proposed by Gov. Ned Lamont in February.

Measure to phase out car tax also passes but faces uphill climb.

Faced with a slumping economy and likely big cuts in federal aid, state legislators are once again weighing whether to turn delinquent taxpayers over to collection agencies — and block renewal of their driver’s licenses or vehicle registrations.

Leaders in the Connecticut arts and humanities fields, who drive a large part of the state’s tourism industry, warned of the “devastating” effects that the Trump administration’s decision to slash arts funding will have on them Thursday afternoon at the Legislative Office Building in Hartford.

For the first half of his career in law enforcement, working as a police officer in South Florida, Chase Fopiano did not think cyberattacks on police agencies were a serious threat.

Lamont remains wary about progressive CT tax hikes.

Governor Ned Lamont announced that he is encouraging businesses, nonprofits, and municipalities in Connecticut that have been impacted by recent actions from the federal government to report that information to the state so that it can be compiled into a central database and provide state policymakers with a better understanding of how these directives are affecting various groups, geographical regions, and sectors of the economy.

Members of the House of Representative’s Tax Equity Caucus and advocates called on the Connecticut General Assembly and the governor on Tuesday morning to support what they called “economic populism” in the form of tax relief for middle class and working class people.

A proposed tax on sweetened beverages returned to the Connecticut legislature on Monday, reviving a years-long debate over the balance between public health policy, small business burdens, and the goal providing free school meals to all students.

Warning of a potential recession and “flurry” of layoffs, Connecticut’s state Senate leadership are looking for the state Department of Labor to take a proactive approach to a potential surge in unemployment.

At the March State Board of Accountancy meeting, the issue of advertising attestation services and peer review enrollment was addressed. Previously, the Department of Consumer Protection (DCP) prohibited CPAs from advertising attestation work unless they were enrolled in the peer review program.

“There’s been a big push from BioCT and other legislative action groups” to support the increase, said Bill Claffey, a tax attorney and partner at accounting firm Fiondella, Milone & LaSaracina LLP. He participated in a panel discussion during the event.

The state legislature’s General Law Committee will conduct a public hearing Wednesday to consider a bill that would offer more flexibility for state residents to become a certified public accountant.

The Connecticut House voted Monday night for two emergency bills, one reflecting a widening disagreement with Gov. Ned Lamont over spending and another responding to President Donald J. Trump’s crackdown on undocumented immigrants and LGBTQ services, including gender-affirming care.

We asked the DRS to extend three deadlines from March 15, 2025 to April 15, 2025. Based on the DRS Commissioner’s authority to extend, due to statutory limitations, he was only able to extend two of the dates to April 15, 2025 as requested: Form CT-PET, Connecticut Pass-Through Entity Tax Return and Form CT-1065/CT-1120SI, Connecticut Composite Income Tax Return.

Late in last year’s legislative session, P.A. 24-132 was passed, increasing the State Single Audit threshold from $300,000 to $500,000 for nonstate entities with a fiscal year beginning July 1, 2024 or after.

More than a dozen new laws will take effect Jan. 1 in Connecticut, including changes to absentee ballots, mandatory paid sick leave, and expanded protections for home health care workers.