Massachusetts Budget: Difficult Choices

MBPC offered an overview of the Conference Committee budget (click on link for the full analysis):

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Seeking to close a $5 billion budget gap, the legislative Conference Committee crafted a budget that will require sacrifices across the board. The budget includes cuts that will limit access to health care, reduce public employee benefits, and decrease funding for public education, human services, public health, public safety protection, environmental protection, and virtually every other area of state government. To avoid cutting even further into public services that affect the quality of life of people in the Commonwealth, the Conference Committee budget also includes a sales tax increase (to 6.25 percent), an expansion of the sales tax to alcohol purchases, and a modest reduction in the tax subsidies provided to movie producers. While these tax increases restore only a portion of the tax reductions of the past decade,1 they will help to strengthen the state’s long term fiscal stability.
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From Dan Bosley's Blog.
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From the community forums I attended, the sales tax increase was the most widely accepted method of closing the budget gap. (And I heard no objection to the proposed "junk food" tax that wasn't included.) There was also widespread support for moving toward a graduated state income tax which would require a constitutional amendment. As Rep. Bosley points out, a gasoline sales tax increase will more severely impact the western portion of the state that lacks alternative transportation. Maybe there's a way to tweak that during the next session to fund road repairs that were neglected during previous administrations.

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It would be anticipated that Beacon Hill will now do the hard work of much needed "reforms" before jumping on the quick fix and false hopes that slot machines will save the day. Maybe Beacon Hill might even find the time to do their homework about the "Fool's Gold" of casino gambling. Maybe Beacon Hill will allow racetracks to die a peaceful death and not duplicate the mistakes other states have already made.

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One can only hope wisdom prevails!