Wednesday, December 10, 2008

House budget chief says a tax increase is necessary

This from H-L:

FRANKFORT — A tax increase is needed to solve the nearly half-billion budget shortfall Kentucky faces, House budget chairman Harry Moberly Jr. said Tuesday.
Moberly, D-Richmond, said erasing the shortfall only with cuts "would be too painful" and would "seriously cripple" important programs.

Moberly's comments came after he and several House leaders met privately for about an hour in the Capitol with Gov. Steve Beshear and members of his staff. Beshear had met earlier in the day behind closed doors with Senate leaders.

After the meeting with House leaders, Beshear declined to say whether he will propose a tax increase when he releases his plan on Thursday or Friday to address a projected $456.1 million shortfall in the budget this fiscal year...

And from C-J:
...Beshear met with Senate leaders in the morning for about two hours, and with House leaders in the afternoon.

"Everyone to a person pledged to work together to find some common ground to address the problem," Beshear told reporters after the second meeting. "I feel very good about where we are right now in terms of the ability of all of us finally to be able to come together and work some solutions out." ...

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