Republican gubernatorial hopeful John McKinney this morning will unveil plan to eliminate income taxes for middle-income earners

As the August 12 Republican gubernatorial primary inches closer, Senate Minority Leader John McKinney of Fairfield this morning will continue to attempt to underscore the differences between he and Tom Foley of Greenwich, during a scheduled 11 a.m. news conference in Stratford called “putting taxpayers first.”

McKinney and his lieutenant governor running mate, Dave Walker of Bridgeport, unveiled the major aspects of the plan last night to the Republican Town Committee of Bethel. During a meeting in Town Hall there, where the Blogster was a fly on the wall among about 25 people, McKinney and Walker said that cuts in spending, drastic changes to state employee retirement programs, the end of so-called double-dipping, in which state employees retire, only to return to state government and a reduction in state managers would create enough room in the state budget to eliminate income taxes for middle-income earners by 2017.

McKinney will make the announcement this morning at 11 at Station House Square on Stratford’s Main Street, just north of the railroad overpass.