jake
07-28-2009, 07:22 PM
With their budgets teetering on bankruptcy, states are digging deep to find creative ways to ease their financial woes.
Although fiscal year 2009 was grim for states, observers predict that 2010 will be even worse.
"The numbers that states are looking at in terms of their shortfalls is truly staggering. And all of this is happening in an environment where raising taxes is still pretty toxic, and it's pretty explosive," said Sujit CanagaRetna, a senior fiscal analyst for the Council of State Governments.
Instead of raising taxes, states are putting taxes and fees on specific items and services as they try to decrease their budget gaps.
"You see this blizzard of fees popping up all over the country and in very unusual places," CanagaRetna said.
full story (http://edition.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/07/28/states.budget.crunch/index.html?eref=rss_latest)
Although fiscal year 2009 was grim for states, observers predict that 2010 will be even worse.
"The numbers that states are looking at in terms of their shortfalls is truly staggering. And all of this is happening in an environment where raising taxes is still pretty toxic, and it's pretty explosive," said Sujit CanagaRetna, a senior fiscal analyst for the Council of State Governments.
Instead of raising taxes, states are putting taxes and fees on specific items and services as they try to decrease their budget gaps.
"You see this blizzard of fees popping up all over the country and in very unusual places," CanagaRetna said.
full story (http://edition.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/07/28/states.budget.crunch/index.html?eref=rss_latest)