The House of Representatives approved a $24.2 billion state budget early Tuesday morning that provides more than $600 million in income tax cuts, a car tax freeze, an extended gasoline tax holiday and other relief. The Democrat-controlled chamber voted 95-52 along party lines shortly after 12:20 a.m. to approve the budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1. The Senate, where Democrats also hold the majority, was expected to approve the plan later Tuesday. Gov. Ned Lamont billed the tax relief plan he negotiated with his fellow Democrats in the legislature’s majority as the largest in state history — a claim likely to be contested throughout the gubernatorial campaign this summer and fall. That’s because roughly half of the relief is one-time. Despite Democrats’ touting of their tax cuts as “historic,” Republicans noted the recurring relief totals about $300 million per year, which is a small fraction of the nearly $8 billion the state has amassed between its $3.1 billion budget reserve, commonly known as the rainy day fund, and this fiscal year’s $4.8 billion surplus.
