ECONOMIC OUTLOOK RANKING HAS CONNECTICUT STAGNANTLY LURKING AT THE BOTTOM OF THE BARREL
HARTFORD (April 12, 2016): A day after yet another national ranking
demonstrating the depth of Connecticut’s economic woes, the National Federation
of Independent Business (NFIB) is hoping Governor Malloy’s budget proposal due
later this afternoon will address the dire situation employers are facing and
reflect an administration willing to confront lawmakers refusing to propose a solution
to the crisis.
“Much to the surprise of the small business community,
Governor Malloy has recently been discussing the new economic reality we are
facing in Connecticut and has shown a willingness to address the issue head on.
Unfortunately, the legislature has yet to catch up to the Governor and just
last week not only did they fail to close the deficit, but they managed to hit
employers with a new tax as well,” according to NFIB Connecticut state
director, Andrew Markowski. “No wonder our economic outlook remains at 47th
in the nation again this year. The very people capable of improving our
situation fail to even recognize that it exists.”
The Rich States, Poor States: ALEC-Laffer State Economic
Competitiveness Index is a forecast based on a state’s current standing in 15
state policy variables that lawmakers are more than capable of directly
influencing by casting pro-business votes during the legislative process. Not
only did Connecticut remain at 47th again this year, but in terms of
recent changes regarding tax burden, Connecticut managed to rank even worse, at
49th.
“The fact that “Rich States, Poor States” looked at the ‘14-‘15
legislative session and found that actions taken during that session will
continue to negatively impact our economy well into the future is frightening. Correcting
the poor fiscal decisions of the past is going to take a tremendous amount of
dedication from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. The small business
community will be watching closely to see who is willing to step up and cast
aside their partisan political views in exchange for sound economic policy
making decisions,” concluded Markowski.
