|
|
OpinionTax money is your money and mine even after collectedTo the editor: Letís talk about our money. Yes, taxes are still our money, even after they are already collected, contrary to what some of our state government officials believe. So it is still important to us how this current budget deficit of about two billions dollars is handled. Budget deficit means that more money has been allocated for various programs than will actually come into the stateís coffers over projected time. The Minnesota State Constitution says the state must have a a balanced budget, so a legislative solution must be negotiated in the near future between the House of Representatives, the Senate and the Governor. The balanced budget plan that has been proposed by Governor Venturaís office would be the largest tax increase in Minnesotaís history. It includes $1.4 billion in tax increases and gives orders to his commissioners to cut their budgets by about 10 percent. This is not a good plan. I believe there are crucial areas that cannot be reduced such as funding for schools and nursing homes. These must remain as top priorities. I also believe that raising taxes on working Minnesotans during this difficult financial time would be very wrong. We must instead learn to examine our priorities and live within our means. One example of efficiency is enacting a state hiring freeze, which could save up to $200 million. What about using the ìrainy day fund?î If itís not a rainy day now, when will it ever be? No, instead they are looking at new rail corridors, tax funded stadiums, etc. These things cost big money and are in reality not priority items. Bruce Nelson ©ECM Post Review |