HARTFORD (October 26, 2017): In response to the Senate finally passing the long overdue 2017 budget, the following statement may be attributed to National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) Connecticut State Director, Andrew Markowski:
The confidence of the small business community is certainly shaken after such a long and drawn out budget battle. Our only hope is that our lawmakers have learned from this process and will cease to perpetuate any further fiscal gimmicks by pushing decisions off into the future. Considering that’s what got us here in the first place, that shouldn’t be a hard ask.
We have been fighting against major, across the board tax increases and consider this budget a small victory thanks in part to the legislature’s ability to avoid enacting revenue grabs through broad-based taxation. Additionally, the structural reforms that are included in the package, including a strong spending cap, are a breath of fresh air for hard-working small business owners wondering what their futures may hold.
This bipartisan plan may not be perfect, but the peace of mind that comes with fiscal stability in our state offsets its disadvantages, and for that, we thank the Senators that supported the measure and implore members of the House to do the same later today. Small business owners do not have the luxury of running their businesses without a strict budget, and it is long since overdue that our state government function in the same manner.
