Sen. Andrew Roraback, R-Goshen, had one of the better lines during today’s budget debate in the state Senate.
Roraback was criticizing a Democratic proposal to levy a 30 percent surcharge on the so-called “death tax” – the tax Connecticut imposes on estates of those who die worth over $2 million.
Republicans generally don’t like the estate tax, particularly those who represent wealthy constituents in lower Fairfield County, and the surcharge just adds salt to the wound.
Democrats argued the surcharge would sunset in 2012 (a claim that, for anyone who follows state government, is a real eye-roller because it is rare for taxes to be rescinded once on the books).
But taking the majority party at its word, Roraback noted the absurdity of limiting the surcharge to a specific number of years.
“If you can hang in until Jan. 1, 2012, your family will be that much better,” he said.
