State Senator Cathy Cook (R-Mystic), a Co-Chair of the General Assembly's Program Review and Investigations Committee, would like to announce that the committee will host an informational forum on state and local tax policy this Wednesday at 1PM in Room 2C of the Legislative Office Building (LOB) in Hartford, CT.

Invited experts from several states including California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Maine will discuss guiding principles for revenue systems, trends in state and local tax policies and systems, and actual tax reform experience in their respective states as well as participate in a moderated question and answer session. Ronald Snell the Director of the National Conference of State's Legislature's Economic, Fiscal & Human Resources Division will moderate the discussion.

"This is a great opportunity for my colleagues and I to learn more about both state and local tax policy from some of the most respected experts in the fields of economics, finance, and tax policy," said Senator Cook, the Chief Deputy Republican Leader of the Senate. "I anticipate an informative discussion on Wednesday afternoon that will look at tax policy from a variety of practical and theoretical perspectives and should help us further our current study of Connecticut's tax system."

The Committee will also be holding a series of public hearings on the subject of taxes beginning Thursday,
October 27th at noon in Room 2D of the LOB in Hartford. That will be followed by a public hearing in Hamden on November 1st, one in Groton on November 2nd, and finally one in Danbury November 3rd.

"Obviously, this is an issue that impacts every taxpayer in the state so I am hopeful that there will be a strong turnout. We are looking forward to hearing from citizens from across the state and listening to their thoughts on the state's current tax structure," added Senator Cook.