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Sen. Zarelli statement on March revenue forecast
March 19, 2009
OLYMPIA…
Sen. Joseph Zarelli, Senate Republican leader on the state
Economic and Revenue Forecast Council, issued this statement
regarding the March quarterly revenue forecast he and other
council members adopted this morning at the Capitol:
“While this forecast certainly widens what is already a record
budget gap, we must remember state government still expects to
take in as much revenue in 2009-11 as it will receive in this
biennium. Think of all the families and job creators in our
state who would be happy to be in that position.
“Today’s revenue projection really doesn’t change the choice
facing the majority party. Its members can roll up their
sleeves, balance the current budget, reduce discretionary
spending in favor of funding essential government services, and
quit talking about tax increases. Or, they can throw their hands
in the air, slash funding for what should be the priorities of
government and try frightening the voters into approving a
bailout. One of these approaches is leadership, one is not.
“In her
inaugural address Governor Gregoire vowed ‘we won’t waste
this crisis’ and ‘we must grab this opportunity to reform.’ Yet
the legislative session is two-thirds past with no reforms.
Other than suggesting a new tax on college students, the
governor has said little publicly while the legislators from her
party fiddled around on less-important bills and took aim at the
very people we rely on for jobs – when they could have and
should have been making policy changes that would save hundreds
of millions of dollars in this biennium and the next. A huge
opportunity has been missed.
“We can have a budget which is balanced without tax increases
and doesn’t decimate funding for education, higher education,
health care and human services. That’s a taller order today with
this latest revenue drop, but yes, we can still do it – and
the approach we have laid out is no secret. Unfortunately it
already sounds like the forthcoming budget will recommend
dramatic cuts in all of those areas while allowing the ‘sacred
cows’ of government to stay alive, and rewarding some at the
expense of others. Are those the right priorities?”—30—
For more information contact
Eric Campbell
at (360) 786-7503 or
campbell.eric@leg.wa.gov
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