TAX NEWS - JUNE 2010

Connecticut Tax: Connecticut Rating Cut by Fitch Ahead of Debt Sale

by Michael McDonald, 03 June 2010 -- Connecticut, the state with the highest tax-supported debt, had its bond rating lowered one level to AA by Fitch Ratings as it prepares to borrow money to cover a budget deficit for a second straight year.

The state, whose residents are the wealthiest in the U.S., relies "on borrowing to address its ongoing fiscal challenges in the context of already high liabilities and large projected structural gaps," Fitch analysts Doug Offerman and Laura Porter wrote in a press release today. The analysts didn't immediately return calls seeking comment.

Connecticut is preparing to borrow $956 million to close a budget gap in the fiscal year beginning July 1, after borrowing money last year to cover a deficit of $947.6 million, the analysts said. Lawmakers also chose to draw down the state's rainy-day fund and raise the top income tax for residents after tax collections fell almost 15 percent in the year ending June 30, 2009, according to Fitch.

"The downgrade reflects the state's reduced financial flexibility, illustrated by its reliance on sizable debt issuances during the current biennium to close operating gaps in the context of already high liabilities," Fitch said. A biennium refers to Connecticut's two-year budgeting cycle.

The state has $13.7 billion of bonds outstanding, according to New York-based Fitch. It is preparing to borrow $600 million this month, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Standard & Poor's yesterday rated Connecticut AA, two steps below the top level, and Moody's Investors Service ranked it an equivalent Aa2 on May 27. All three companies assigned a stable outlook to the credit.

Connecticut has the highest net tax-supported debt among the 50 states, according to Moody's. The state is also the wealthiest with per capita personal income of $54,397 in 2009, according to Department of Commerce data.