State revenues up $317 million; Romney calls for tax rollback
''It's pretty clear that Massachusetts is back and firing on all cylinders," Romney said at a State House press conference. ''The numbers we're looking at from a revenue standpoint are just mind-numbing. . . . It's time to return to the taxpayers the tax rate they asked for and voted for." Leaders in the State House and Senate said they were cautiously optimistic about the revenue figures, but rejected Romney's argument that Massachusetts is hale enough financially to pass a tax cut that would drain $600 million a year in revenue. They cited the fiscal uncertainty of rising oil and natural gas prices and healthcare costs and the threat of steep cuts in federal Medicaid money. Boston Globe