http://mycn2.com/politics/lexington-democratic-lawmakers-say-they-re-disappointed-beshear-didn-t-push-for-more-tax-revenue

Publication Date: January 24, 2012

Author: Ryan Alessi

Several Democratic lawmakers say they're disappointed Beshear isn't pushing for more tax revenue

Three Central Kentucky House Democrats said this week that the biggest missed opportunity in the governor’s two-year budget proposal was Gov. Steve Beshear’s failure to call for some tax increases to raise revenue for education and human services.

Lexington Democratic Reps. Susan Westrom and Kelly Flood and Midway Democratic Rep. Carl Rollins — the House Education Committee chairman — said Monday that they were glad to see the governor protect K-12 education from cuts and add money for social services and public defenders.

But each said crucial areas of human services need more resources, especially after some of those agencies have taken collective 25-35 percent in cuts over the last four years.

“The real courage legislators and the governor need to have is actually bring about meaningful tax reform. By meaningful, I mean new revenue,” Rollins said. (2:00 of the video)

The three were responding to questions at a forum at the Lexington Step Up for Kids Day organized by youth and social services advocacy groups. All three were asked to give one thing they liked in the governor’s proposal and one issue they disagreed with:

Beshear did announce a tax reform task force headed up by Lt. Gov. Jerry Abramson that will make recommendations about how to change the state’s tax revenue system. That group has not yet been appointed.

Flood went on to say she was most disappointed that Beshear didn’t use some of his political capital coming off his 20-point victory in the November governor’s race to call for fee or tax increases to go toward human services.

“This is where the need is the greatest,” she said in the video. “This is the moment where the governor could have taken a really strong moral stand, and I was surprised that he didn’t.”

Watch her full answer:

Ryan Alessi
About Ryan Alessi

Ryan Alessi joined cn|2 in May 2010 as senior managing editor and host of Pure Politics. He has covered politics for more than 10 years, including 7 years as a reporter for the Lexington Herald-Leader. Ryan says he enjoys the challenge of interviewing political figures and civic leaders about how they want to improve Kentucky.

Comments

  • Ken DeGeneffe wrote on January 28, 2012 11:44 PM :

    No surprise by Democrats – tax more so they can keep spending to influence a continuing stay in office. Who would think a Democrat would be capable of controlling spending like a normal responsible household has to? After all, they are only spending your money – not their money~

  • Bill Huff wrote on January 30, 2012 10:23 AM :

    Beshear’s 2012-2014 budget does nothing to identity thousands of “Kentucky outlaws” not paying their fair share of property, income, sales & use, u-drive-it, unemployment insurance taxes, nor, nothing done to identify an estimated 200,000 Kentucky car owners evading Kentucky’s motor vehicle titling and
    registration laws costing state & local taxing jurisdictions an estimated $300,000,000 tax evasion dollars and the one-out-of-four Kentucky truckers not paying (an estimated $100 million ) Ky truck weight-distance tax evasion.

    Beshear’s budget cuts in property tax administration of 2.5% allows all 120 PVAs to continue receiving estimated $600,000 state tax dollars annually in the form of a $4,280 stipend just for “being alive”. Suggest $4,280 stipend be given to “Kentucky teachers”, instead of property assessors.

    Beshear’s budget does not cut one iota from:

    an estimated $1 billion dollars of tax exemptions, deferments, exclusions, deductions, credits and preferential tax rates;

    $400,000,000 of corporate tax shelters;

    state non-merit personnel costs by $100,000,000 (estimated 2,100 non-merit salaried personnel);

    All of the above “cuts” should be made prior to any tax increases.

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