Governor Jeanne Shaheen is selling her combination sales tax/statewide property tax. But at the same time, House leaders are trying to exert more control over the budget process.
Governor Jeanne Shaheen is making the rounds to promote her education funding proposal. In a phone call with radio stations across the state, the governor highlighted the merits of a sales tax set at 2 point 5 percent.
03 52 this would be the lowest sales tax in new England. Its half that of our bordering states. In an effort to provide additional protections for families that might need it, we?re including a homestead exemption as part of the statewide property tax?03 106
The governor is busy trying to sell the merits of her plan. But House Republicans are trying to change the focus of the debate over education funding and include it as part of the coming discussions of the bi-annual budget. Leaders say they can fund education with existing revenues.
House Finance Chair Neal Kurk also says that his committee will break with tradition, and begin creating the next budget from the old one.
07 usually we wait for the governor to propose a budget, and then begin the review process. This year, we?ll be taking a more proactive approach. 07 09
Kurk says the Finance Committee will use this approach because House leaders expect that the Governor will propose a budget with much higher spending. He says House leaders want to restrain these spending hikes.
08 04 Rather than starting with a significant increase over our current level of expenditure, we?re proposing to start where we are now, and then, through the legislative process see where we need to go. 08 15 and this will tell us what kinds of additional revenue, if any, we might need. 08 19
Kurk and other House leaders say they intend to fully fund all the state?s commitments, and that their approach will not result in any spending cuts.
Governor Shaheen says she does not agree with House leaders that it is possible to fund nearly 900 million dollars in education funding, and have a balanced budget, without any new taxes. But she says she?s not opposed to discussing her proposal as part of the budget phase, as long as it is done responsibly.
08 I agree with them, this has to be part of the whole discussion around the budget. That?s why we gotta solve education funding. So we can do what we need to do to address the services and the needs of the state of new Hampshire. So we can invest, as we need to invest, if we?re going to insure that we have a strong state in the future. 08 18
Governor Shaheen is scheduled to propose her budget to state lawmakers next week. But its already apparent that the struggle to control the budget process, including education funding, has already begun.
For NHPR news, I'm DD
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