Posted on 11/28/2006 7:08:38 AM PST by anymouse
Just paying for promised cuts in local school property tax rates over the next two years would put lawmakers $4 billion or more over a constitutional cap on state spending.
So as an option, leaders are looking at tying a legislative vote to exceed the cap to the tax relief.
"You offer a bill that reduces property taxes and you tell everybody that the amount of money involved exceeds the spending cap, and let's vote," said Senate Finance Committee Chairman Steve Ogden. "We're exceeding the spending cap so we can cut your property taxes. I think everybody'll vote for that."
But that's just an option, the Bryan Republican and other leaders emphasized. The Legislative Budget Board is looking at other options for seeing that the cap doesn't include massive spending on property tax rate reductions.
The board, which includes Ogden, delayed a vote on setting the actual cap. The cap, which ties state spending to state economic growth, applies only to state tax revenue that's not constitutionally dedicated to another purpose.
Even under the most generous figures examined today by the board, the cap would limit such spending to $65 billion, up from $55.5 billion. And the LBB staff says property tax relief for the next two years will cost $13.5 billion.
Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and House Speaker Tom Craddick say they know of no sentiments to include the money necessary for tax relief under the spending cap.
Dewhurst, emphasizing that he and Craddick have tried to cut out "unnecessary spending," said essentials must be covered.
"I for one am going to ask any of our senators that are talking about arbitrarily cutting $13.5 billion out of a $55 billion budget, great, show me where," he said.
Are the leaders on the right track?
What a pompus ass.
CUT SPENDING~!!!!!
I am a software engineer and I have worked for private sector AND government agencies.
I cen tell you fromexperience that EVERY govt agency i worked for could easily withstand a 50% across the board budget cut and not miss a step. I have never met more incompetant, lazy, tax wasters than at any govt. agency I worked for.
There was once place that had a database administrator who did not know how to turn on the database, or even do simple bacup. A SENIOR grade level programm who spent 6 months trying to write a computer program that took me 2 days. And the worst case I saw was $250,000 the spent with a company to move data from one database table to another (a 2-hour job worth about $100, we tried to tell them)
"But the contract was already signed" they said, and the company practically admitted they were overcharges, and said they would make it up by offering unlimmitted tech suport (no tech support was or would ever be needed after installation) so they went ahead with a project they new was $249,900 overpriced.
And the administrators kept buying software from one single company although that same company has yet to deliver any working software.
What a load of crap! Since when does CUTTING TAXES belong under a SPENDING CAP? This is SPENDING REDUCTIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We are so screwed! We are so screwed!!!
More of the "paying for tax cuts" dribble I have seen the Houston Chronicle op-eds echo over and over gain.
Later that night Kemah has a christmas boat parade!
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