Kilmartin lauds Conn. decision to let electric tax die

PROVIDENCE – Attorney General Peter F. Kilmartin this month commended the Connecticut Legislature’s decision to let a tax on electricity production expire on Sept. 30, a move he said will benefit taxpayers throughout New England.
According to a news release, Connecticut in 2011 imposed a tax of one-quarter of one cent per net kilowatt hour of electricity produced by generators within Connecticut and uploaded to the regional bulk power grid. Kilmartin and Mass. Attorney General Martha Coakley raised serious concerns about this tax, concerned the new tax could raise rates for all New England states that draw power from the grid.
Kilmartin said a study showed that New England ratepayers were likely to pay an estimated $38 million to $50 million more to purchase electricity because of the tax, and that approximately 75 percent of the higher energy costs resulting from the tax were likely to be borne by ratepayers outside of Connecticut.
Once the tax is eliminated, the savings to Rhode Island ratepayers is estimated to be $3 million to $4 million per year, Kilmartin said. •

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