Analysis: Budget woes reach beyond Mississippi
One of the longest-serving state senators, Democrat Hob Bryan of Amory, says the Transparency and Simplification Act is neither transparent nor simple.
“The problem is that no one can explain which special funds were eliminated and which ones weren’t. No one can explain which assessments were ended and which ones weren’t. No one can provide a document showing how these changes affect each agency,” Bryan wrote in the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal.
Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Eugene “Buck” Clarke, R-Hollandale, told The Associated Press he believes the changes will work. And, if there are problems, Clarke said legislators could consider changes once the next regular session starts in January.
The Rockefeller Institute report notes that Mississippi tax collections declined three-tenths of 1 percent from October to December 2015 compared to same period in 2014. While collections from personal income taxes increased, that was more than offset by decreases in sales taxes, fuel taxes and corporate income taxes.
Clarion Ledger
7/10/16
Magnolia Tribune
