Near as I can tell that hand you feel in your back pocket belongs to the NM Senate:
The Senate-passed tax increase package would raise the statewide gross receipts tax rate — now 5 percent — by one-eighth percentage point, yielding almost $60 million a year.
The bill also would reimpose part of the gross receipts tax, or sales tax, on food. The rate would vary, depending on the local gross receipts tax rate of the city or county in which the food was bought, but average about 2 percent. The change would bring in an estimated $68 million.
Another $66 million would be gained from eliminating the deductions that some New Mexicans can now take on their state tax returns for the state and local taxes they’ve paid. That would increase their taxable income.
And the state would get $11.6 million from a newly imposed compensating tax on out-of-state companies that sell products to New Mexico businesses but have no physical presence in the state.
Oh, I know that some you will say that the legislature has no choice. They have to raise taxes to get us out of this pickle. But, that’s not true. There are other options:
The numbers are big and the money bigger, but the bottom line is New Mexico could find $280 million to help fix its budget. Rep. Dennis Roch, R-Tucumcari will try to bring an amendment to the state budget bill that will simply cut those state positions which are currently vacant.
Roch points to a report he requested from the Legislative Council Service (LCS) outlining the job vacancies in state government. The report says as of January 4th, there were 4369 vacancies in state government. The problem according to Roch is that the proposed budget lawmakers are trying to tackle would fund 3396 of those positions. Roch argues if the state can function now without those positions filled, then it can function by eliminating them altogether.
But hey, that makes too much sense, right? Cut non-existent jobs over increasing taxes on struggling families.
I’ve got to run, but you can catch me today at 3:00 pm on Jim Villannucci’s show on 700 KKOB discussing this and other issues with Carter Bundy.