U.S. Rep John Larson held a public forum in the West Hartford Town Hall Auditorium on Dec. 26.

By Ronni Newton

An engaged crowd of about 150 people attended a public forum Tuesday night in the West Hartford Town Hall Auditorium, hoping to learn more about how the new GOP tax plan will impact them.

U.S. Rep. John B. Larson, a Democrat representing the first Congressional district, voted against the recently-passed tax bill, as did the remainder of Connecticut’s congressional delegation, all of whom are Democrats. Connecticut Senators Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy also voted against the bill.

Larson was introduced by Town Council member Dallas Dodge.

“It clearly is not a win for the American people,” Larson told the crowd at the beginning of the forum.

Larson outlined the changes to the law, specifically the areas which he felt would adversely affect Connecticut residents such as the new $10,000 SALT (state and local tax) cap. A significant portion of state residents currently itemize their deductions, and will be negatively impacted by the cap.

Following a 40-minute presentation on the tax bill, Larson fielded questions from about two dozen people in the audience on taxes as well as a range of other topics.

More information on the forum can be found in a Hartford Courant story by Sandra Gomez-Aceves.

For more specific information on the potential impact of the tax plan on Connecticut residents, see this CT Mirror story by Ana Radelat,

According to Larson’s office, the congressman scheduled a series of forums after hearing constituent concerns about how the overhaul will affect them and their families. Other upcoming forums include Wednesday at 5 p.m. at the Bristol Senior Center, Thursday at 5 p.m. at Goodwin College in East Hartford, and Saturday at the Barkhamsted Public Works Department.

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