Indy Party nominee for governor runs on elimination of business property and car taxes

Third Party Candidates Don’t Succeed But Their “Solid Ideas” May Eventually Win The Day

By Mike McGarry

Most third parties have their day in the sun, but then the sun sets. We remember old friend, the late Oz Griebel, for his upstart Griebel-Frank Party in 2018 that is now part of the Forward Party that has endorsed incumbent Ned Lamont this year.

Then there is Connecticut’s Independent Party that in the past has given Republicans and conservatives a second line on the ballot. In close elections (probably not this year), an Indy Party endorsement or one by the Working Families Party can really make a difference.

Many people who say, “my vote doesn’t really count,” should realize that Republican gubernatorial candidate Bob Stefanowski lost the Independent line by, yes, just one vote at a nominating meeting. However, credit must be given to Robert Hotaling, the Independent Party candidate, for some solid ideas that should have been discussed more fully in this sad, tit-or-tat campaign.

The big money ads are, at best, full of half-truths. We tell our interested friends to believe the exact opposite of all those nasty ads and you’ll be closer to the truth. So, let’s look at Hotaling’s best idea so far: eliminating business property and motor vehicle taxes.

Politically Speaking: A Conservative’s View

From our perch of over 40 years of involvement with various committees, government services and political offices, this commentator sees those two taxes as a great weight on businesses and residents. Car taxes drive people to cheat or move. Business personal property taxes are disincentives to invest. For example, you only need look at all the cars with out-of-state plates driving around town. The six months and a day residency rule is easy to fulfill and if a town cracks down too much, many residents will become legitimate 12-month residents somewhere else.

Why not experiment, with a one-year moratorium, while the state has a surplus?  Towns don’t trust the state to carry through any long-range tax changes, look at P.I.L.O.T. (Payment In Lieu Of Taxes). But a one-year test could easily be funded next year.

The destructive nature of the business personal property tax is obvious to any city or town assessor. By state law, they must tax investment by businesses at 70 per cent market value. So say a new restaurant invests $500,000 in new equipment, furniture, computers, etc. It’s hit with a massive tax bill for its first few years of operation right when they need the money the most as they struggle to establish themselves. No wonder so many of them have short life spans (along with the jobs they create). All the minor tax cuts touted by Governor Lamont pale in comparison to the economic boost that eliminating the above-mentioned taxes would bring. Almost all politicians talk about “helping small businesses and working families,” this would actually do just that (and eliminate the cost of administering those taxes in the bargain).

Why not experiment, with a one-year moratorium, while the state has a surplus?  Towns don’t trust the state to carry through any long-range tax changes, look at P.I.L.O.T. (Payment In Lieu Of Taxes). But a one-year test could easily be funded next year. So, whatever the outcome on election day, the Independent Party candidates, Robert Hotaling for governor and Chip Beckett for Lt. Governor, deserve credit for bringing some fresh ideas to a very stale campaign.

Mike McGarry, a former Hartford City Councillor and member of the capital city’s Board of Assessment Appeal, is a contributing writer to The Hartford News where this column appeared on October 12. http://Hartfordpublications.com.