Governor Hoeven’s Irresponsible Budget Represents Redemption For Measure 2 Supporters
Back during the elections supporters (like me) of the measure on the North Dakota ballot to cut state income taxes warned that if taxpayers didn’t vote for tax relief for themselves that they were unlikely to get any from the political leaders in the state. We also warned taxpayers that if the state government was left with a massive budget surplus to spend they would, in fact, spend it all.
Now Governor Hoeven has released a budget that spends every nickel in sight (it represents a full 26% increase in general fund spending, coming on top of a 24% increase from the last session), and the paltry income tax relief contained in it is already being opposed by legislators who will undoubtedly do away with it (to appease government employee lobbyists, among others, I’m sure) once they get their hands on it during the session.
None of this is written in stone just yet, of course. Something amazing may happen during the legislative session, but I doubt it. I fully expect the session to end with government spending increased heftily even as tax revenue projections fall thanks to economic slow down and lower oil prices, and the only tax relief that might pass will be yet another stab at a property tax bailout of the sort Hoeven got passed last session and promptly abandoned.
The citizens of North Dakota are about to be taught a costly lesson about the wisdom of trusting politicians.
