Opinion: Push for tax on low wages would mean higher grocery bills, fewer jobs

Suzanne Bates is the policy director for the Yankee Institute for Public Policy. She lives in South Windsor with her family. Follow her on Twitter @suzebates.

Not one, but two legislative committees in Hartford approved bills that would force employers to pay a penalty — a tax, really — for hiring people in our state.

The tax would be levied on businesses with more than 250 or 500 employees — depending on the bill — and would charge business owners $1 per hour for every hour worked by an employee earning less than $15 an hour.

This legislation would give us the worst of all possible outcomes — these bills would lead to fewer jobs and higher prices. And who is most affected when the cost of living goes up in Connecticut? The poor.

See the complete story at CT News Junkie.