Gubernatorial candidates Mark Fernald and Craig Benson attacked each other's education funding plans today.
Each accused the other of fuzzy math and false promises that will lead to massive deficits.
NHPR's Trish Anderton reports.
DEMOCRAT MARK FERNALD SET OFF THE FIREWORKS BY CRITICIZING BUSINESSMAN CRAIG BENSON?S PLAN.
If he brought a plan like that to wall street he never would have gotten a penny for Cabletron. We need real leadership, straight talk, a real plan for new Hampshire. We?re not getting it from mr. benson
STATE ACCOUNTANTS PROJECT DEFICITS OF ABOUT 100-MILLION DOLLARS IN FISCAL YEARS 2004 AND 2005. BENSON?S SO CALLED COMMON SENSE PLAN PROMISES TO ELIMINATE THE DEBT BY TRIMMING THE BUDGET. BENSON WOULD FREEZE SCHOOL FUNDING, WITH NO INCREASES FOR INFLATION OR RISING ENROLLMENTS. HE ALSO PLEDGES TO HOLD THE STATE TO A LEAN 3-PERCENT INCREASE IN SPENDING EACH YEAR. BENSON CLAIMS THAT WILL LEAD TO A BUDGET SURPLUS BY 2005. FERNALD CALLS THAT FUZZY MATH.
mr bensons promises don?t add up. In fact if you put all of those promises together, he?s about 200 million dollars out of whack annually.
WHAT FERNALD?S NUMBERS ACTUALLY PROJECT IS ABOUT A 160-MILLION DOLLAR DEFICIT OVER THE TWO YEAR PERIOD. THAT?S PARTLY BECAUSE THE FERNALD CAMP INSISTS BENSON PROMISED TO ADJUST THE STATEWIDE PROPERTY TAX RATE DOWNWARD TO OFFSET RISING PROPERTY VALUES. BENSON AIDES SAY THEY MADE NO SUCH PROMISE. FURTHERMORE, FERNALD ASSUMES HIS REPUBLICAN OPPONENT WILL INCREASE SPENDING 3 AND A HALF PERCENT INSTEAD OF THREE PERCENT. BENSON POLICY ADVISOR KEITH HERMAN DECRIES FERNALD?S NUMBERS. HE SAYS THE DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE?S INCOME TAX IS THE REAL SOURCE OF FUZZY MATH.
Bottom line, inc tax is bad, fernald knows inc tax is bad, he should stick to law, not acctg.
BENSON?S CAMPAIGN INSISTS FERNALD?S INCOME TAX PLAN WILL BLOW A 160-MILLION DOLLAR HOLE IN THE BUDGET IN ITS FIRST YEAR. THAT?S BECAUSE THEY BELIEVE FERNALD CAN?T GET AN INCOME TAX IN PLACE UNTIL JANUARY OF 2004, HALFWAY THROUGH THE BUDGET YEAR. THEY ASSUME HE?LL DELIVER ON HIS OTHER PROMISES, SUCH AS ELIMINATING THE STATEWIDE PROPERTY TAX ON PRIMARY RESIDENCES, FOR THE WHOLE YEAR. AGAIN, KEITH HERMAN.
the rev?s not gonna be there in 04 from the inc tax so the question is whats he going to do in the meantime? Is he gonna keep the state prop tax? Is he gonna raise it? Is he gonna come up with some other tax in the meantime?
FERNALD AIDES ADMIT THE TRANSITION MAY BE BUMPY. BUT THEY SAY THEY?RE WILLING TO ADJUST THE PLAN AS THEY GO TO KEEP SPENDING IN LINE. FERNALD AND BENSON AGREE THAT BY 2005 THE INCOME TAX PLAN WOULD BE IN THE BLACK. BESIDES QUIBBLING OVER THEIR PLANS, EACH CAMPAIGN INSISTS THE OTHER HAS PROMISED LOTS OF ADDITIONAL SPENDING HE WON?T BE ABLE TO DELIVER. AND EACH INSISTS HIS PLAN BETTER REFLECTS NEW HAMPSHIRE?S VALUES. ALL OF WHICH MEANS VOTERS MAY WANT TO SIT DOWN WITH A CALCULATOR AND A POT OF COFFEE BEFORE DECIDING WHOSE MATH AND WHOSE PHILOSOPHY IS BETTER. FOR NHPR NEWS
