“The Senate and House Republicans have proposed a gas tax holiday and, after Legislative Democrats turned their noses down at the proposal, Governor Ned Lamont picked up the Republican position and now is claiming it as his own idea,” Connecticut Republican Party Chairman Ben Proto said today.

“Unfortunately, in a press conference Governor Lamont held on Monday, he blamed the spike in gasoline prices on ‘the invasion in Kuwait’. He fails to realize that, first and foremost, Russia invaded Ukraine, and further than gasoline and oil prices have been rising since early 2021, before a single shot was fired by Russia, but shortly after President Biden canceled the Keystone Pipeline project and gave the greenlight to Putin’s oil and gas pipeline in Eastern Europe. The only thing missing in all this is the Vice President laughing her way through the Governor’s press conference,” said Proto.

“I guess Governor Lamont has been reading some polling,” said Proto. “During his first term, Governor Lamont backed three major, regressive transportation tax hikes.

First he, and many members of the House and Senate Democrats, tried to push through tolls on all limited access highways in Connecticut. Then he and his Democrat friends in the legislature sought to raise the gasoline tax. Thankfully for Connecticut taxpayers, with Republicans leading the charge, these ridiculous bills were defeated.”

Democrats and Lamont did succeed in passing a new truck tax, which will tax trucks per mile traveled within Connecticut starting in 2023 – a measure that will raise the cost of goods and services and make Connecticut even less affordable than it is now.

“As the Republicans have been saying for some time, families need relief. An additional tax on trucks is an additional tax on every household at a time when they can least afford it,” Proto continued. “The Biden/Lamont inflation isn’t going away and, as President Biden’s Press Secretary, Jen Psaki, said recently, the price of gas will continue to go up. For the sake of Connecticut families and workers, Lamont and Connecticut Democrats need to step up and admit their mistakes and cut taxes,” concluded Proto.