ECAR Legislative Breakfast 2014

Eastern Connecticut State Candidates Speak!

20 of the 37 Eastern Connecticut candidates for State Senate and State Representative participated in the Annual ECAR Legislative Breakfast on September 10, 2014 at the Holiday Inn in Norwich, CT.

Each candidate was asked to answer one of the following questions during their 3 minute remarks.

• REALTORS® believe homeownership and safe, affordable housing is a fundamental goal of any society, essential to our State’s economic vitality.  Connecticut’s affordable housing appeals act (CGS, Section 8-30g) has been a tool used to achieve those goals.  Some have proposed the repeal of 8-30g, do you support repeal of 8-30g?
• Real estate property taxes continue to escalate at an unsustainable rate, jeopardizing housing affordability.  A good way to control local property taxes is to eliminate state unfunded mandates, reduce the reach of the municipal prevailing wage statute, and level the playing field under the binding arbitration law – do you agree?
• Connecticut REALTORS® have opposed the real estate conveyance tax due to its unfair nature being based not on the ability to pay nor gains achieved on the sale of the property.   This “temporary” tax has now been made permanent in the state of Connecticut, but is in reality a regressive tax that takes over 31 million dollars away from the housing industry.  Would you support legislation to do away with the conveyance tax now that Connecticut state income taxes and other added taxes make our state one of the most heavily taxed states in the country?
• How would you improve the business climate and job opportunities in Connecticut?
• What are your legislative priorities and why are they your priorities if you were to get elected?

The table below provides the time in the video that the candidate made his remarks. The video can be accessed at http://youtu.be/rqSJb9Byd2M