A last-minute effort by state Senator John McKinney, R-Fairfield, to block the tax last week failed in a close vote in the state Senate, mainly along party lines. Forcing newsstand vendors to collect an extra few cents for newspapers “is nothing short of a nuisance for consumers and small businesses alike,” said Sen McKinney. He noted that taxing newspapers is “as close as we can get” to planning a tax on the First Amendment.

The sales tax on newspapers and magazines is expected to raise $3.5 – $5 million a year for the State of Connecticut.