Gov. Malloy’s Many Tax Hikes

Posted on Feb 22, 2011 in Research, Tax and Budget Gov. Malloy’s Proposed Tax Increases Gov. Malloy has proposed dozens of tax increases across 25 categories of taxes. This is a conservative count; we aren’t counting each separate expansion of the sales tax as a separate tax hike, though of course they are. Income tax: Increases income taxes on individuals making more than $50,000 a year and couples making more than $100,000 a year;...
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The Connecticut Plum Book

Posted on Jan 19, 2011 in Accountability and Transparency, Blog, Data, Research HARTFORD – The Yankee Institute’s Zach Janowski has assembled a listing of all the gubernatorial appointments to be made by Governor Dannel Malloy as he fills his administration in the Connecticut Plum Book. The data shows that Gov. Malloy has numerous posts to fill, including 23 commissioner-level positions, 22 deputy commissioner-level posts, and 91 paid appointments to various...
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Your Guide to the State Legislature

Posted on Oct 19, 2010 in Accountability and Transparency, Research HARTFORD – Over the last two years, members of the Connecticut House of Representatives and the Connecticut State Senate have voted on hundreds of bills that have an effect on the daily lives of Connecticut’s citizens.  As a result, it can be very challenging to discern whether individual elected officials are acting in the best interest of the state on critical issues. The Yankee...
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Yankee Institute Starts Raising Hale

Posted on Jul 21, 2010 in Accountability and Transparency, Research HARTFORD – The Yankee Institute announces the launch of Raising Hale, a new source of investigative reporting for Connecticut. The website, www.RaisingHale.com, will feature articles and videos that break news and address topics not covered elsewhere. Zachary Janowski is an investigative reporter for the Yankee Institute and is responsible for the material posted to Raising Hale. Most recently...
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$100k Pension Club Includes 299 State Retirees

Posted on Jun 29, 2010 in Accountability and Transparency, Research HARTFORD – The number of retired state employees collecting annual pensions of more than $100,000 has risen to 299 people, a new analysis by the Yankee Institute shows. Of those, 81 individuals receive more than $120,000, or at least $10,000 a month. The top ten biggest pensioners in 2009: Name Employer Position Amount Veiga, John F UCONN Professor $257,362.21 Blechner, Jack N UConn...
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How Much Does Each Diploma Cost?

Posted on Jun 14, 2010 in Education, Research HARTFORD – The average Connecticut high school graduate cost taxpayers about $133,000 from kindergarten through senior year, according to new research by the Yankee Institute. For high school graduates in the city of Hartford, which has the state’s most expensive graduates, that figure climbed to just under $200,000 per graduate, the data shows. Using data from the Connecticut Department of...
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Top State Employee Salaries 2009

Posted on May 27, 2010 in Accountability and Transparency, Research HARTFORD – The Yankee Institute announces that it has updated its CTSunlight.org website by adding 2009 payroll data for all state employees. The data shows that 1,293 state employees earned more than Gov. Jodi Rell’s salary of $150,000 last year. This is up from 1,137 state employers who were paid more than the governor in 2008. Check out CTSunlight.org now! A total of 180 state employees...
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Nickels and Dimes 2010: Connecticut’s Taxes

Posted on May 25, 2010 in Research, Tax and Budget HARTFORD – The State of Connecticut collects money from 347 separate taxes, fees, and transfer payments, according to a new report released by the Yankee Institute. The report lists every separate source of revenue collected by the state, ranging from the state income tax ($6.4 billion) to private donations ($0) for fiscal 2009. The top 15: 1 Personal Income Tax   $6,385,856,437 2 General...
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Unfunded Liabilities Worse Than Forecast

Posted on Apr 7, 2010 in Research HARTFORD – A new report released today by the Yankee Institute warns that Connecticut’s true unfunded liability for pension and other retirement benefits is much bigger than widely assumed. Connecticut’s pension system serving 175,000 active and retired state employees, teachers, and those in the judicial system reports an unfunded liability approaching $16 billion – an amount nearly...
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Less Choice, Higher Costs for Health Care

Posted on Mar 22, 2010 in Health Care, Research Maine’s Experience Should Give Connecticut Pause in Pursuing Politicized Health Insurance Rate Approval Process SB 194 – An Act Concerning Rate Approvals For Individual Health Insurance Policies purports to be responding to real concerns about the impact of health insurance premium increases. However, it is a flawed response, as best illustrated by Maine’s experience, which has a...
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