HARTFORD, Conn. (WTIC Radio) - Following a backlash over the initial interpretation of Connecticut's revised meals tax, the administration of Governor Ned Lamont apparently didn't want any other surprises.
Communications staff in the Office of the Governor wanted to review any future policy statements by the Department of Revenue Services before they were released, according to text messages obtained by WTIC News through a Freedom of Information request.
"Are any more policy guidances (sic) going out soon? If they are they need to be screened by OTG comms (sic) first. Directive from the top."
That was the message to DRS Commissioner Scott Jackson, relayed by the department's spokesman on Sept. 17, from Lamont Communications Director Max Reiss.
The text message came 11 days after the agency issued guidance on the revised prepared meals tax, that not only increased the levy one percentage point to 7.35 percent, but also expanded it to a number of grocery store items that were previously not taxed, such as five or fewer bagels and rotisserie chickens.
The guidance was the result of the new state budget adopted earlier in the year. Jackson had previously warned members of the administration the policy statement could turn "into a thing." It did.
Republicans and then Democrats in the General Assembly criticized the expanded tax, insisting there was never discussion during the budget process of applying the higher tax rate to additional grocery store items not covered by the existing meals tax.
"Do we want to call out [the] Finance Committee?" Jackson asked in a Sept. 13 text to DRS Communications Director James Polites, in response to a draft statement from the Lamont Administration's Budget Office, defending the guidance as based on existing state law. "This budget provision was passed by the Finance Committee and included in the final budget as a means to modernize and equalize our sales tax system," the statement read in part.
Ultimately, Governor Lamont instructed the tax department to issue a revised policy statement on the tax "to better reflect the intention of the legislature." The new scaled-back guidance was issued Sept. 19. The higher meals tax took effect Oct. 1.
Legislative Republicans continue to insist the meals tax law must be revised so that future administrations don't broaden the base of the tax without the General Assembly's consent.
