Last week I was interviewed by a high school student who was doing a project for school. The student wanted a Republican’s perspective on what was going on in Washington DC. I asked who would be giving the Democrat’s perspective and he said his teacher was going to do that. I was a little skeptical at first and surprised that the person giving the opposing view was also the one that was going to provide a grade to the student. Despite my reservations, I agreed to meet him and am so glad I did.
We talked about Washington politics for a while and then about the student’s membership in the “Young Democrats” group at school. I asked how they identified as a Democrat or, for that matter, as a Republican at such a young age. The student said that the connection was initially done at home where both his parents are Democrats. I laughed and said that was the exact opposite of my experience. When I turned 18 and registered to vote, both my parents were Democrats and I wanted to be different than my parents, so I registered as a Republican.
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We talked about the Republican Party in general and what it meant to be a fiscal conservative. I challenged the student to look at all the municipal candidates running for local office. Being fiscally sound/responsible is something that both parties "run on."
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On the subject of taxes the student believed wealthier people should pay more than others. I asked if he was aware that we already have a progressive tax system in Connecticut, which does factor in salary. He said no.
We discussed Connecticut’s progressive tax system in more detail. Personal income tax in our state ranges from 3 - 6.7 percent. The percentage you pay is based on your salary and marital status. A married couple filing jointly and earning more than $500,000 annually would pay income tax at a rate of 6.7 percent. If the married couple was making under $20,000 annually, they would pay income tax at a rate of 3 percent; and they would also have the opportunity to have their income tax refunded through the Earned Income Tax Credit (CT EITC) program. Everyone else would fall somewhere in between, as can be seen in the attached chart image. Income tax bracket rates for other marital status categories are available on the following webpage: http://www.ct.gov/drs/cwp/view.asp?A=1510&Q=480028.
The progressive income tax rate system paired with CT EITC creates a system where those who make more money pay more in taxes, and seeks to protect those with small incomes from paying high taxes. CT EITC is also impacted by the amount of children a person supports, and tax credits are provided on a state and federal level. A full list of qualifiers and numbers can be found on the following CT Department of Revenue Services webpage: http://www.ct.gov/drs/cwp/view.asp?a=4165&Q=491140&PM=1.
The student and I also spent some time looking at the numbers related to income tax payments. In Connecticut the top 21 percent of earners - those with incomes over $100,000 - already pay 78 percent of total income tax collected in the state. The top 4 percent of filers - those with incomes over $250,000 - pay half of all state income taxes.
I then asked the student, “Why do you think that if you are successful you should be punished by your government by having to pay more in taxes than you already do?”
The student did not have an answer for me, and I did not expect one. I just wanted him to be aware of the question, so he could ponder a response for himself.
Our session went longer than I expected but certainly was worth my time talking with a member of our next generation of leaders. Educating our youth about local government, political issues, and state law is extremely important, and I am glad I got the opportunity to connect directly with a bright and inquisitive student. I hope I shed some light on a different perspective, and I encourage him to continue to ask questions and explore all sides of the civic issues he encounters.
Overall, I’d say we had a great interview, even by republican standards.
Sen. Witkos represents the 8th District towns of Avon, Barkhamsted, Canton, Colebrook, Granby, Hartland, Harwinton, New Hartford, Norfolk, Simsbury and Torrington.
