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Understanding and Explaining the State Budget | ||
| The powerpoint slides from our "Understanding and Explaining the New Hampshire State Budget" presentation. Understanding the basic outlines of the state budget will lead to a broader participation in the budget process by legislators and observers from all philosophies. | |||
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State Revenue Deteriorating by Charles M. Arlinghaus | ||
| In each of the last four months, state revenues have fallen further and further behind the amount needed for the state budget. Revenues will end the year at least $91 million behind the budget – and even higher if business taxes also deteriorate. The two year budget shortfall will be between $205 and $258 million. | |||
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Revenue On Track for $75 Million Shortfall by Charles M. Arlinghaus | ||
| New Hampshire State revenues are currently on a track to produce a shortfall of more than $75 million in the fiscal year ending June 2008. That shortfall could be reduced by a strong economic performance over the next months but will likely grow larger as corporate profits growth slows after the explosive growth of recent years. | |||
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INTERSTATE 93: An Opportunity to Demonstrate a Sustainable Future for New Hampshire's Transportation and Information Infrastructure by J. Mark Lennon | ||
| Lenon argues that the $500 million to be spent on widening I-93 would have greater impact if it were available to be spent on a variety of methods to reduce the traffic on the road rather than making more room for it. | |||
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Chronic Care Management and The Cost of Health Care by Charles M. Arlinghaus | ||
| We spend a lot of money as a society on perhaps the best health care system in the world. A less desirable way to reduce those costs is to ration care by one system or another. A better solution will focus on a growth strategy to improve health and eliminate complications by managing the chronic conditions and health risks that drive almost all the system costs. | |||
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Tax Hikes on the Horizon The Hole in the Budget That Can't Be Ignored by Charles M. Arlinghaus | ||
| There is a growing hole in the New Hampshire State budget. The revenue shortfall alone would require tax increases that would cause undue economic damage. Couple with a planned but undefined increase in education spending, the amount will be too large to close with small changes to our current tax structure. By one calculation, the hole will approach $200 million. But when the planned off-budget spending increases are added in, the shortfall will be between $800 million and $1 billion. | |||
© 2008 The Josiah Bartlett for Public Policy. The Center is committed to publishing a range of viewpoints and ideas.
The views expressed herein represent the author’s and not necessarily those of the staff or Board of Directors.