A provision in the new state budget will give a tax break to thousands of veterans in the state.

Starting next year, state lawmakers say veterans won't have to pay any state income taxes on their military pensions. They currently pay taxes on half of it.

Some critics say the plan ignores the vast majority of veterans who didn't spend 20 years in the military, and don't get a pension.

According to state figures, only four percent of Connecticut veterans served long enough to collect a pension.

"Everything's a step-by-step process," said state Sen. Bob Duff. "In the future, we want to work on other types of tax breaks for middle-class families and for veterans and others, but right now, this is what we had and this is what we did."