A new Quinnipiac University Poll released this morning shows Connecticut voters aren’t happy with Gov. Dan Malloy or his proposed $1.5 billion in tax increases:
Connecticut’s new governor, Dannel Malloy, gets no honeymoon as voters disapprove 40 – 35 percent of the job he is doing, with 25 percent undecided, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today.
Voters are optimistic, 55 – 39 percent, about the next four years under Gov. Malloy, the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University poll finds. And they say 89 – 7 percent that Malloy’s town hall meetings to discuss the budget and the economy are a good idea.
But they disapprove 51 – 32 percent of the way he is handling the budget and turn thumbs down on his budget plan:
- 66 percent say the plan increases taxes too much, as 3 percent say too little and 19 percent say the tax level is about right;
- 39 percent say it cuts spending too little, with 17 percent saying too much and 29 percent say about right;
- 16 percent say it increases taxes on the wealthy too much, as 48 percent say too little and 24 percent say about right;
- 68 percent say it raises taxes on the middle class too much, with 1 percent saying too little and 21 percent saying about right.
Malloy’s budget proposals are unfair to “people like you,” voters say 56 – 31 percent. Democrats say “unfair” 45 – 41 percent and Republicans agree 65 – 25 percent and independent voters agree 59 – 28 percent.
Ouch. Frankly, I’m not really surprised by these poll results. Gov. Malloy has $3.4 billion budge gap to close and has proposed the largest tax increase in state history.
The simple truth is you can’t tax your way to prosperity, if Gov. Malloy and the state legislature are serious about closing the budget deficit they’ll scale back the proposed tax increases and make real meaningful cuts — some of them draconian in the budget. It’s the only way to ensure the states long term prosperity.