House Republican Press Release

July 24, 2006

Press Office: 860-240-8700

DelGobbo Supports Governor’s Call to Reduce Energy Taxes

State Rep. Kevin M. DelGobbo, R-70^th, Naugatuck, praised Gov. M. Jodi Rell’s call last week to reduce the state tax on residential and commercial electricity bills and also the  petroleum products gross receipts tax that increases gas prices at the pump.

Rep. DelGobbo, who is ranking member on the legislature’s Energy and Technology Committee, said, “I agree wholeheartedly with both those initiatives proposed by the governor as part of series of short- and long-term steps to help Connecticut consumers.”

“Both are initiatives that I have called for in the past,” said Rep. DelGobbo, “This past session, I introduced legislation to roll back the tax on electric utility bills. Last year, I voted against a legislative increase in the petroleum gross receipts tax .This tax is providing a windfall to state government with the rising price of oil and gas products.”

Rep. DelGobbo was one of only seven members of the House to vote against the petroleum products gross receipts tax increase in 2005.

Rep. DelGobbo added, “As part of a larger program, rolling back these taxes are some of the things we can do to ease the burden of sharply rising energy costs.”

He added, “Is a tax rollback going to be a watershed change in itself? No, but I don’t think the state should be gaining windfall revenue from consumers--that it will end up squandering anyway--        from the rising cost of oil, gas and energy. Anything we can do to reduce the cost of energy to the consumers, we should do.”

Rep. DelGobbo noted the governor has proposed a series of actions including:

• Rolling back the gross receipts tax on gasoline and other petroleum products to reduce prices at the pumps
• An immediate 25 percent cut in the tax on utility consumption