A proposal to tax home heating oil in Connecticut has fizzled out.
The legislature's Commerce Committee has killed House Bill 6650, which would have taxed home heating oil for the first time ever.
The proposal was met with fiery opposition from the public and industry. And now, with the bill dead, one of its leading opponents is pleased.
"The recognition of the committee that their constituents and the businesses that serve them comes before a new tax is commendable," Chris Herb, vice-president of Connecticut Energy Marketers Association, said. "We look forward to working with them as the legislature moves forward.”
Herb, a Naugatuck resident whose association represents more than 600 home heating oil companies around the state, continued:
“We want to thank Senator Gary LeBeau (D-East Hartford), Representative Chris Perone (D-Norwalk), Senator Clark Chapin (R-New Milford) and Representative Laura Hoydick (R-Stratford) of the Commerce Committee, along with other members of the committee, for recognizing that this is the wrong time for a tax on home heating oil."
"We agree with their wisdom and foresight that the bill would have had a negative impact on homeowners already struggling to get by. We appreciate Senator LeBeau's immense effort of working with our industry to achieve conservation without a new tax."
