As we posted last night, we understand the deep fiscal pain the Commonwealth is undergoing. That’s why we support looking at balanced revenue approaches, such as closing loopholes in our tax expenditure budget, or rethinking the planned drop in corporate tax rates (details, from Mass Budget and Policy Center).
But while revenue proposals are pending, we acknowledge that the pain should not be concentrated in any single area of the budget. That’s why we urge the legislature to support what’s called “expanded 9C,” authorizing the Governor to make budget cuts in areas of government not directly under the executive branch. With the news today that tax revenues continue to fall, it’s important that health and human services programs not take the full brunt of the cuts.
State House News reported this morning that the legislature was not planning to support the expanded 9C. On this last day of the session, we hope the House and Senate reconsiders this option.
– Brian Rosman
