Survey Questions and Candidate Responses

Tammy Nuccio | Participating Election

I am submitting legislation to remove state income tax on social security and also looking to see what we can do to limit property tax - based on income - for our senior populace.

Nick Gauthier | Participating Election

Reduce taxes on pensions/retirements and make housing more affordable. https://www.nickgauthier.com/issues#FairEconomicPolicies

John Rasimas | Participating Election

We need to provide true and permanent tax relief rather than temporary and insignificant measures. In order to cut taxes, we need to reduce spending by instituting zero-based budgeting.

Jonathan Steinberg | Participating Election

The recent arrival of a bear market highlights the vulnerability of those dependent on equities to fund their retirements. Last session, we made initial efforts to limit tax liability for those on fixed incomes. I'm open to exploring additional steps.

Anne Hughes | Participating Election

Expand EITC and make permanent, expand and make permanent the child tax credit, have CT Supplement/increase the municipal tax relief to seniors and retirees with savings from the paying down Ct's debt liability. Fully find PILOT, eliminate the car tax; resource DRS to ensure the hyper-wealthy and wealthiest corporations pay what they owe to CT like the rest of us, to invest in CT public good/services: water, sewer, transportation and fully fund equitable public education across all our zip codes. And raise the top corporate marginal tax rate on corporations over 10 billion annual profit; tax digital downloads/online marketplace like brick and mortar main street shops; close carried interest loopholes, level regional and off-shore tax floor to ensure minimum tax rate/investment in Ct's services and infrastructure.

Cynthia Mangini | Participating Election

For middle income retirees on fixed incomes, it would be advantageous to provide tax credits similar to what many municipalities offer Veterans for their property and car taxes.

Lisa Thomas | Participating Election

I know how difficult it has been for families to pay for groceries, fill their cars with gas, and make ends meet in this economic climate. I am committed to protecting the financial wellbeing of all those in the 35th district by supporting the income tax exemption on pensions and retirement annuities and 50% exemption on public teacher pensions. I support additional exemptions and making the Child Tax Credit permanent. Overall, I am committed to keeping your money in your pockets, and in our communities we can take action local property tax impacts on retirees and small businesses. In Coventry we plan to provide property tax relief for daycare providers that qualify under new state legislation..

John Carlson | Participating Election

Reduce and eliminate taxes and fees wherever possible. Not tax retirement income.

Kara Rochelle | Participating Election

I voted to eliminate taxes on retirement income (social security, pensions, and annuities) for the majority of retires, and also voted to phase out taxes on 401k retirement income as well, by the same income thresholds. I would like to expand the income thresholds to include more seniors, and would also like to examine what other retirement income we can remove taxes from. Additionally, I supported an increase in the property tax credit for seniors and would like to expand that program as well. Further, I would like to lower the cap on car taxes to benefit more middle income communities.

Edwin Vargas | Participating Election

I will support legislation that eliminates state income tax on retiree's pensions and Programs to reduce the property tax burden on retirees.

MD Masudur Rahman | Participating Election

I want to lower taxes on our working families and our retirees - by investing in our communities we can make sure those who are most in need are able to keep more of their hard-earned money. I will defend our state's exemption of Social Security from income taxes, and I will work to raise the state's limits on exemptions for seniors' property taxes, so communities like Manchester and Glastonbury can continue providing relief to our retirees.

David Michel | Participating Election

We have made changes for retirees just this past session as relief from taxes on retirement. We need to continue working hard to protect our retirees.

Christine Palm | Participating Election

We need to overhaul our regressive tax policy. I am in favor of raising the top marginal tax rate on passive income streams over $500,000 so that the Uber-wealthy start paying a rate that is commensurate with what poor and working families pay. I voted to eliminate taxes on such retirement income sources as social security, annuities and pensions for middle-income retirees. We also have begun phasing out taxes on 401k retirement income, and we need to find similar cost savings.

Don Mastronardi | Participating Election

Eliminate all taxes on retirement income, period. Our government does an awful job of incentivizing savings. Individuals should be incentivized to put money away for retirement, not punished. I would make all retirement income tax exempt from taxation. People are taxed enough in this state and the government is always looking for more and more. Our citizens work almost 5 months of the year for the State and Federal government and that isn't right or fair. In addition, families and individuals buying a home should be able to use retirement money tax free to do so. We need to incentivize wealth creation and owning your own home is one of the best ways to build generational wealth. Generational wealth shouldn't be punished either, parents should be able to pass on their wealth to their families without the government getting a cut. The government works for the people, not the other way around.

Julie Kushner | Participating Election

I support comprehensive planning to reduce the costs of necessities like housing, transportation, and healthcare that eat into the incomes of middle-income retirees on fixed incomes. The state government has an enormous role in ensuring affordable housing, investing in affordable and sustainable transportation, and regulating healthcare costs. I also support improving our tax system to ensure that we’re raising enough revenue from folks in the top 1% to ensure that the financial responsibility for providing essential state services isn’t increasing for middle-income retirees.

Robert Hotaling | Participating Election

We propose reducing the cost of living for all Connecticut residents including seniors by eliminating motor vehicle taxes, complete the phase out of taxes on pensions and 401K plans, and eliminate hidden fees and taxes that are passed on in cost of goods and services including utilities. Additionally, modeled on social security, we believe in subsidizing health care gaps of retirees beyond what’s covered by Medicare or Medicaid (Husky) for those who have lived and worked in the state for at least 10/20/30 years.

Kimberly Becker | Participating Election

Seniors deserve to stay in their homes and in their communities. I meet seniors every day who are concerned about losing their homes due to high property taxes. In my work on the Granby Commission on Aging and volunteering at the Barkhamsted Senior Center, I have learned about the real world challenges for seniors. As your State Representative, I will work to cap property taxes for those living on fixed incomes. In order for many seniors to age in place, they need assistance with transportation and equipment such as access ramps and stair gliders. We can address these issues through a mixture of direct subsidies and tax relief.

Christopher Green | Participating Election

I was glad that this year’s budget accelerated the exemption of retirees under certain income thresholds from state income tax on pensions, social security, and annuities. Similar exemptions roll out over the next few years for 401ks which should cover most retirees in Connecticut. I think expanding these exemption thresholds and exploring ways to help Seniors with property taxes make sense as a way to ensure that our retirees can make ends meet and afford to stick around Connecticut.

Jillian Gilchrest | Participating Election

I will work with my colleagues to enact policies to provide Connecticuts middle-income retirees with additional relief. I'm proud of the work we did this past session to eliminate pension and annuity taxes for retirees making less than $75K/year and to increase to the state income tax credit for property owners.

Frank Smith | Participating Election

I proudly supported exempting pension and annuities from state taxation for those that earn less than $75k, which ultimately passed. I intend to file a bill to expand that exemption to more of our retirees as well as an additional bill to ensure similar exemptions for social security benefits.

Bob Godfrey | Participating Election

I supported the $600 million tax cuts that carefully targeted working families and seniors. Additional cuts, using surplus money, should be in order, so long as they are similarly targeted.