“As I have said repeatedly over the past several months, Connecticut’s current elderly tax freeze program is a good idea that just does not go far enough. The obligation to pay property taxes is a heavy burden for all Connecticut residents, but is particularly onerous for senior citizens, especially those living on fixed incomes. So, as promised, I have submitted legislation that would expand the program to include more senior citizens and to require the state to reimburse towns for the lost revenues. Frankly, I believe it is only right to require the state to bear the cost of this program as state mandates on municipalities, and the state’s failure to fully fund its ongoing obligations to municipalities, are at least in part responsible for high local property taxes,” said Senator Caligiuri, stressing that municipalities would have the option of participating, or not, under his proposed legislation just as they do under the state’s existing local property tax freeze program.

Specifically, Senator Caligiuri is proposing to expand the state’s existing local property tax freeze program to include eligible residents beginning at age 65, and surviving spouses who are at least 50-years old. The age requirements would mirror the age requirements for eligibility for the state’s circuit breaker program. Under the existing tax freeze program, eligible residents must be at least 70-years old, and surviving spouses at least 62 years old.

“Connecticut residents who have worked hard all of their lives, raised their families here, and contributed so much to our state should not be forced to spend their retirement years terrified of losing everything they hold dear because they cannot afford to pay their tax bills. At the same time, it is absolutely wrong to further burden other, also struggling, families and individuals by forcing them to pay even more so that their elderly neighbors can pay less. Our laws should never have the effect of dividing people, certainly not young struggling families versus senior citizens,” said Senator Caligiuri.

Senator Caligiuri said that, while he expects to have better figures as his proposal moves through the legislative process, he believes that the cost to the state of implementing his proposed elderly tax freeze program would be similar to the cost of the circuit breaker program, which is $20,505,899 for FY 2007.