From the Enquirer:
The budget conferees did the best they could to keep cuts to a minimum. But it's not clear that they've managed to find viable new sources of revenue, at least anything that amounts to more than a one-time fix. Astoundingly, they did not include an increase in the state's cigarette tax, even though a 25-cent-per-pack hike passed by the House would have brought in about $100 million a year.
...Meanwhile, Beshear's casino initiative isn't in the cards for this year and maybe longer, and no other revenue boost appears to be on the horizon, unless the economy revs up and Kentucky's growth rate increases. This budget may pass, but the long-term answers for Kentucky clearly are not in place.
From the Courier-Journal:
Lawmakers and Gov. Steve Beshear had the opportunity to produce a responsible budget. It was their choice to settle for what has emerged. In an election year, the great majority of legislators were not interested in finding new revenue with which to move our state forward, despite the fact that Kentucky lags behind in so many ways.
The Republican Senate especially merits blame for blocking a modest cigarette tax increase. Even the wimpy 25-cent proposal the House passed would have added more than $100 million a year to the state's coffers -- enough to make a difference in a lot of lives.
From the Herald-Leader:
The budget that emerged from a closed conference committee early Tuesday morning does nothing to move Kentucky forward, as Education Commissioner John Draud observed.
The state will lose ground -- all because the Senate refused to increase one of the nation's lowest taxes on cigarettes when smoking costs Kentucky $4 billion a year in health care and lost productivity.
