Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Gov. Ned Lamont is proposing a bill to send tax rebate checks to roughly 2.2 million Connecticut residents this fall, totaling $500 million in relief, according to the CT Mirror.
The plan, unveiled as part of the governor’s budget address earlier this month, would return money to working families and middle-class households across the state.
“Unlike many other states, which are facing federal cuts or a deficit of their own, Connecticut is stepping up to protect our most vulnerable, and we are trying to make life a little less expensive for working families and the middle class, who are getting slammed by higher costs,” Lamont said in his budget address to lawmakers, as reported by the CT Mirror.
According to the governor’s a fact sheet regarding the proposed bill, Senate Bill 84, the amount a household would receive depends on how they filed their 2024 state income tax return.
Single filers who earned up to $200,000 would receive $200. Joint filers who earned up to $400,000 would get $400. Head of household filers who earned up to $320,000 would receive $320. Part-time residents would not be eligible.
There would be no application required. According to the fact sheet, the Connecticut Department of Revenue Services would automatically identify eligible residents using existing 2024 tax records; checks would be mailed no later than Oct. 31, 2026.
Lamont wants to draw $500 million from Connecticut’s projected $1.9 billion budget surplus for the current fiscal year. The money would come from sales tax revenue, which the state expects to generate around $5.3 billion in 2026. The CT Mirror notes that $500 million is a significant sum, enough to fund two full years of special education grants to school districts statewide.
The rebate was not without its critics at the State Capitol. According to CT Mirror’s coverage of Lamont’s Feb. 4 budget address, House Minority Leader Vincent Candelora called the proposal “hollowing and gimmicky,” arguing that Connecticut families need ongoing relief rather than a one-time payment.
Photo courtesy of @govnedlamont on Instagram
State Sen. Ryan Fazio, a Republican who is seeking his party’s gubernatorial nomination, said the governor’s budget lacked any long-term strategy to reduce costs or grow the economy.
House Speaker Matt Ritter, a Democrat, took a more measured stance, telling reporters he was glad the conversation had shifted toward returning money to taxpayers, though he left open the question of exactly how that should happen.
Legislators from both parties are pushing competing ideas, the CT Mirror reports. Many House and Senate Democrats favor a permanent child tax credit providing up to $600 per child for lower- and middle-income families. House Republicans want to expand a property tax credit for the middle class, while Senate Republicans have proposed a broader $1.5 billion package that would cut income tax rates and reduce the state’s payroll tax.
The General Assembly must weigh all of these options before the legislative session ends on May 6, 2026.