February 10, 2010 | NEWS ARTICLES
Denish Calls for Efficiency Moves Before Tax Hikes
By Dan Boyd, Journal Staff Writer | Albuquerque Journal
SANTA FE - The Senate is expected to begin sifting through the House-approved $5.6 billion budget this week, and several influential senators have already said they're opposed to relying on tax hikes to balance the budget.
A spokesman for Lt. Gov. Diane Denish said Monday that the lieutenant governor, who's the sole Democratic gubernatorial candidate, would like to see a slew of efficiency measures adopted before lawmakers enact tax increases.
Those measures include cutting the number of political appointees in state government, ending the return-to-work law that allows for the practice of "double dipping" and reducing the number of employee vehicles in the state fleet.
However, it appears unlikely that those measures would generate enough to offset the $240 million that would be generated by the gross receipts tax increase.
Denish said Monday that an across-the-board tax hike is the "last thing" middle-class New Mexico families need.
"I understand that not everyone shares my view, but I firmly believe that before we even think about raising taxes, the Legislature should focus on implementing every cost-saving reform possible," Denish said.
