The Governor's required to release a May budget that includes updated spending and revenue figures and his preferred path for eliminating the deficit. The deficit itself is likely to change, given that the state has taken in about two-and-a-half billion dollars more than expected this fiscal year. H.D. Palmer is with Brown's Department of Finance:
"A lot of people are taking that information and their eyes are getting really bit and the tough decisions don't have to be made any more. We're on easy street, we can buy back some cuts and from our viewpoint, nothing could be further from the truth.
Palmer points out the deficit will still be in the
multibillion dollar range - and continue to be so for years if
long-term changes aren't made. He says Brown will also
focus on his plan to extend a series of tax increases - and what
the state budget would look like without that extra money.
Republicans have said the extra revenue hurts Brown's case for
taxes.
