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Friday, October 23, 2009Today's question: raise taxes or cut more deeply?
The Governor is committed to building a balanced budget with no tax increase. Gotta respect that. Others, according to Art Raymond's article, believe we'll need to raise about $100 M.
Today's question: raise taxes or cut more deeply?
posted by The Senate Site at 10:13 AM | Link
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© 2008. All rights reserved. Designed by Jeremy Wright & His Brother-In-Law
11 Comments:
Cut. Please.
Cut.
This is giving us a great opportunity to decide which government services are wants and which are needs. This is a helpful exercise for all of us.
One way or the other when the ARRA stimulus runs out for the state next year if tax revenue isn't up the state is going to be much worse off, I would suggest a few more cuts but also an increase in the tobacco and alcohol sin tax's. Maybe its best for the state to figure out what its revenue needs are going to be after the stimulus is gone and ease the income or state sales tax into that over time to reduce the shock from a sudden increase, this would also allow the state to stop the increase if the economy improves in the meantime.
Won't somebody please think of the children?
I would raise the cigarette tax to match surrounding states. Alcohol is always good for a hit. Put the full tax back on food, even the poor should help pay taxes. If roads need funding then up the gas tax.
Next I would get serious again with spending cuts. Look at discontinuing some services altogether. I don't have any suggestions except I don't like to see worker's wages cut. I think the pain needs to be shared by the whole community.
The rainy day fund needs to be left alone, at least until Obama is out of office and we can get things back to normal. Too bad the Feds can squirm out of balancing their budget.
I think Utah does a great job with the budget, an example for California and other states.
Millions of dollars were given back by the legislature in years there were surpluses by giving tax cuts, tax breaks, and business incentives. Why does this door only swing one way?
Our state has one of the least progressive state income tax systems in the nation. Those just above the poverty level pay the same rates as millionaires. Why not ask those who have benefited the most from Utah's business climate and resources to give a little bit more back for the benefit of others?
When essential programs and services are cut, real people suffer. In many cases they are our friends and neighbors. Human services and education already barely get by on the modest resources they are allocated each year. Rather than hearing the worn out "cut government spending and don't raise taxes" refrain, it would be nice for a change to hear people say, "What can I do to help our state until the economy recovers"?
Zero base every Government dept., including education, then add back in only essential services. I believe there is still a lot of fluff out there.
We've all had to do it for our personal budgets! The government should lead by example.
Cut please. Over a Million dollars to study if a bridge over Utah lake is good or not?
Is there any way to take from somewhere like the transportation funds? I mean I look at this years budget for transportation, I think it was this years, but over a million dollars to study how a bridge would work over Utah lake ? I mean come on !
If there are little pet projects like that lets search them out and use those instead.
Remember each pot hole causes on average $130 worth of vehicle damage annually. Realistically the state has brilliantly past cuts the last several years, they have used stimulus funds to prevent having to raise tax's, they have reached the end of the rope. The congress is about in greatly increase their medicaid mandates, and the stimulus funds will fun out next year. the State is looking at (last I heard) $850,000,000 shortfall in 2011 and that doesn't count the upcoming medicaid mandate in the health reform bill.
Frankly The state is in a really bad position, the list of choices is short. It would be best to spread the pain out over time so that it doesn't happen all at once.
I would think conventional wisdom would be to avoid a tax hike while we're experiencing the highest unemployment in 30 years, deflation, and shrinking wages for those who are fortunate enough to find work.
The Utah Taxpayers Association, as reported in the Tribune, noted that the state spent $250,000 on bottled water so far this year -- adding, "that's just scratching the surface."
Isn't that "bottled water" the big Mt. Olympus water jugs, not individual small bottles? What effect would cutting stupid little things like that have on employee morale? While we're at it, let's also limit the number of post-it notes and pencils each employee can use.
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