Budget

budget and local aid updates, community preservation act, financial outlook, local aid policy, priorities/requests, resources, revenue, taxes

Community Preservation Act changes incorporated in FY13 Budget

The FY13 budget includes important changes to the Community Preservation Act and, most notably, provides additional funding. The funding from the state level is substantial, but is only a contingent commitment in FY13 and not at all guaranteed in future years. The budget does give municipalities additional flexibility to apply local revenues to CPA purposes.

Tax Expenditures Imposed on Local Governments

With regard to tax expenditures, I think it is important that the legislature review and reconsider the many tax expenditures it has imposed on local governments.  Millions of local tax dollars are lost as a result of the huge local property tax breaks private golf courses and public utilities receive.  For example, the Oakley Country …

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Progress on Controlling Special Interest Tax Breaks

Many citizens would welcome lower taxes, but most also question the effectiveness of special tax breaks for particular groups or industries. Special tax breaks tend to encourage crony capitalism by placing the government in the position of picking winners and losers in the economy. Fortunately, we have recently started to make some progress towards bringing special interest tax breaks under better control.