CONNTACT.COM

The state income tax has dominated legislative revenue debates since its controversial enactment nearly two decades ago.

But the sales tax, whose base rate of 6 percent hasn't changed since that watershed debate in 1991, may be back in the

State Comptroller Nancy Wyman certified a $60 million-plus deficit this afternoon for the new fiscal year, even as she closed the books last year with a final surplus of nearly $450 million. Read more

Are state lawmakers feeling buyer's remorse for the $4 million the state will "spend" on the back-to-school sales tax holiday beginning Sunday?

With a $3.4

State Comptroller Nancy Wyman confirmed this afternoon that Connecticut appeared to close the last fiscal year $393.3 million in the black.

That forecast, up $150 million from projections issued last month, should enable state officials to reduce

MANSFIELD - How do you keep six gubernatorial candidates from spending an entire forum attacking each other?

Answer: Don't give them the chance. Read more

A major state employee union is using last spring's unsuccessful bid to cancel longevity bonuses for senior, non-union state employees to rally support for its long-running battle to allow managers to bargain collectively.

An affiliate of the

Connecticut's transportation network is facing its own perfect storm of aging infrastructure, heavy usage and harsh weather conditions - all compounded by a slumping economy and shrinking government funding, according to a draft report from the

The state got some welcome economic news Tuesday--an estimate that the surplus for the fiscal year that ended June 30 has jumped to $393.3 million, up nearly $150 million over the past month--but hardly enough to offset the massive deficit bearing

State government is on pace to close the books on the last fiscal year $393.3 million in the black - $260 million higher than the surplus projected when the new budget was adopted in early May - Gov. M. Jodi Rell's administration reported today.

The

For most of this year's gubernatorial contenders, discussion of state government spending is focused on ways Connecticut can tighten its belt--and Democrat Dan Malloy is no exception.

But in one vital area, tourism promotion, Malloy announced

State Comptroller Nancy Wyman projected this afternoon that state government will have a $242.9 million surplus when it closes the books on the fiscal year that ended Wednesday. Read more

Let it not be said that Connecticut Democrats and Republicans can't agree on anything.

It took about five minutes for the three Republicans and two Democrats running for governor to agree during Tuesday's debate that Connecticut is a poor place in

As the 2010 gubernatorial candidates squared off in Connecticut's wealthy southwestern corner this afternoon, the debate quickly focused on taxes, an oppressive business climate and a congested transportation network.

"We're doing business pretty

Connecticut is one of seven states that will run out of money to pay state employee pensions over the next decade, coming up short in 2019 due to poor savings habits and generous guaranteed benefit levels, according to a recent study by Northwestern

WASHINGTON - During a recent meeting with labor leaders, Rep. Chris Murphy was pressed by the head of an influental teachers' union to support a $23 billion education rescue package pending in Congress. The message was reiterated in radio ads aired

Gov. M. Jodi Rell has signed into law a bill intended to streamline issuance of state permits and licenses.

Rell's office said the bill, a compromise between industry and environmental groups, will "expedite job creation by breaking through

Connecticut, and especially the Stamford metropolitan area, might be a far more attractive site for a new Major League Baseball franchise than state politicians and business leaders might think, according to the latest quarterly economic report from

A controversial system for exposing state budget deficits that the Democrat-controlled legislature forced on Gov. M. Jodi Rell last year could come back to bite Democrats this fall - less than three weeks before Election Day.

Commonly known as the

State government has relied on $500 million in interest-free, federal loans to keep its unemployment compensation trust fund afloat since mid-October, and legislators made no changes this year to the system for providing aid to jobless residents.

But

State legislators enthusiastically touted more than $220 million in projected tax revenue growth as a sign that Connecticut's economy is on its way back from the worst downturn since the Great Depression.

But while that $220 million helped the

Though motorists could be seeing some modest relief at the pumps by Memorial Day, the gradual rise in oil prices over the past year has gasoline marketers and retailers pressing for new safeguards against price gouging - by both private corporations

A Democratic "jobs" bill that taxes large bonuses paid by companies that got federal bailouts to pay for a small-business tax break passed the Senate Friday mostly along party lines. Read more

Gov. M. Jodi Rell asked state legislators Wednesday to put nearly $1 billion in operating costs on the state's credit card for the second year in a

The Stamford-Norwalk area is the most expensive rental housing market in the nation, requiring a $72,000 household income to afford a typical monthly rent of $1,800, according to study released Wednesday.

According to an annual report by the

How powerful are the members of the legislature's Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee? They can keep the sun from setting for two years.

By a vote of 35 to 15, the committee approved a bill that delays for two years the "sunset" of the

U.S. Rep. John B. Larson, D-1st District, said today that he has been assured by David Hess, the president of Pratt & Whitney, that the jet-engine manufacturer is staying in Connecticut, despite public complaints by its parent, United Technologies Corp., about the cost of

Employers are increasingly misclassifying their employees as contractors to trim costs, so Attorney General Richard Blumenthal and the Chief State's Attorney's Office said they want to substantially increase the fines.

"This is cheating, plain and

The nation's largest online retailer threatened Monday to end its advertising relationships with Connecticut businesses if the legislature enacts a new measure to collect sales taxes tied to Internet transactions.

And though Amazon.com did not

Add the state's tax chief to the growing list of officials uncertain about how Connecticut should pursue hundreds of millions of dollars in uncollected sales taxes tied to Internet transactions.

Department of Revenue Services Commission Richard

CROMWELL - U.S. Rep. John B. Larson, D-1st District, said today that the state's congressional delegation did not appreciate United Technologies' threat last week to relocate more manufacturing out of state.

UTC's complaints to Wall Street analysts

The General Assembly's labor committee today narrowly approved legislation that would require businesses with more than 50 employees to offer up to five paid sick days. Read more

Despite losses as the recession set in, Connecticut's wealthiest households came through 2008 with a six-year record of income growth more than five times greater than that of the average taxpayer.

Buoyed by a five-year stretch during which their

With nearly 170,000 Connecticut residents struggling to find employment, a state legislative panel has endorsed new restrictions on when businesses can research individuals' credit and criminal backgrounds. Read more

Frustration with how big banks handle foreclosures has united Democrats and Republicans behind a bill intended to force financial institutions to work with mortgage holders.

Banks frequently fail to designate a contact person on foreclosures, leaving

Anne Slattery has been named executive vice president of retail banking at Webster Bank in

Lori Groton has joined the Hamden office of CriticalEdge Group, a provider of ERP solutions for

Karan Sampson has joined the Connecticut office of Marcum, an independent public accounting and

Former senior vice president of the Coca-Cola Co. Thomas G. Mattia has been named chief