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[WA] State faces $1.6 billion deficit
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| Contributor | Ralphie |
| Last Edited | Ralphie Dec 01, 2004 06:43am |
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| Category | Perspective |
| Media | Newspaper - Seattle Post-Intelligencer |
| News Date | Wednesday, December 1, 2004 06:00:00 AM UTC0:0 |
| Description | OLYMPIA -- At a time when he has little or no clout to back it up, outgoing Gov. Gary Locke suggested yesterday that new taxes would be the best way to help bridge the state's $1.6 billion budget shortfall.
Locke warned that patching the hole with cuts alone would undermine critical state services.
"The fact is, we face a structural problem of how to pay for the current level of services even with a growing economy," Locke said. "The cost of certain basic programs, especially federally required programs, are growing faster than inflation and growing faster than the expected incomes of the state of Washington."
Gov.-elect Dino Rossi, who has a transition team working with Locke's budget writers, said yesterday that Locke has overestimated the necessity for new taxes.
As chairman of the Senate Ways and Means committee, the Republican Rossi worked with the Democrat Locke in 2003 to push a no-new taxes budget through the Legislature. At the time, Locke was criticized by some of his supporters for not exploring options beyond service cuts.
"We don't need to raise taxes," Rossi said. "I was chairman of the Ways and Means Committee that closed a $2.8 billion gap." A $1.6 billion deficit -- "I would've welcomed that." |
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