One Fist Of Iron, The Other Of Steel

Most people would be outraged over a 100 percent tax increase. But when you are looking at a 1,000 percent tax increase, it might not seem so bad.

Lately, there has been heavy coverage of a , which would place a $330 million tax on Millstone Power Station. But before that bill even came out, a $32 million tax was already proposed on Millstone Power Station, by Gov. Dannel Malloy.

Millstone Power Station currently pays $32 million in state and town taxes. A $32 million increase would double that tax rate in one year, a far cry from increasing taxes tenfold like SB 1176 does, but still a substantial amount, Dominion spokesman Ken Holt said.

“We have expressed our concerns,” Holt said. “Any tax that is put on Dominion will go on to the consumers.”

Dominion makes hundreds of millions of dollars in profit off of Millstone Power Station, according to state estimates. Still, the tax would be passed onto the consumers because of a “legal responsibility to the shareholders,” Holt said.

“Any tax on any business will be passed on,” he said. “It is just how it is.”

Malloy’s proposal was made in January as part of his efforts to balance the budget. The energy committee in the state legislature, with no input from Malloy, approved SB 1176 in March.

Malloy’s proposal taxes all energy generators at the same rate, including Millstone. SB 1176 stands to make $335 million from Dominion, and less than $10 million from all other energy generators combined.

Both proposals need to be passed by the state legislature to become law.

State And Local Support?

State Rep. Elizabeth “Betsy” Ritter and First Selectman Dan Steward have both been very vocal in their criticism of SB 1176. However, neither showed much emotion in opposition to Malloy’s proposal.

“I am not a big fan of any new tax,” Steward said. “But it is part of Malloy’s 'spread the pain' philosophy.”

Steward said the tax would increase the cost of electricity. But it would not have any of the effect that SB 1176 would have, he said.

Ritter was equally ambivalent about Malloy’s tax. At least the tax is equitable, she said.

“The governor’s proposal … has many new taxes,” she said. “It is part of trying to balance the budget.”

Ritter would not say if she was in favor of or opposed to the bill, because it was not yet made available to the legislators. It could be given to the finance committee as soon as Monday, and then it will become more clear, she said.

State Sen. Andrea Stillman, who represents Waterford and is on the finance committee, did not return a voicemail from Patch.

Production Tax?

One thing SB 1176 and Malloy’s proposal have in common is that they are both production taxes, Holt said. No other state in the nation has a production tax, he said.

In other states, taxes are based on what electricity is bought at, not simply a flat fee on all energy generated at the plant, Holt said.

If both bills pass as is, Dominion would pay an additional $367 million in state taxes; 11 times what it currently pays in state and town taxes.

However, the reality is if both bills pass, Millstone will pay almost nothing in taxes, because Dominion will shut down the plan, Holt said. At that point the plant would be too expensive to operate, he said.

The $32 million tax alone would not force Millstone to close down, Holt said.