The Albuquerque Journal is once again showing their bias. Either that, or Governor Richardson now has the editors on the dole. On Tuesday, the front page headlines, looking more like campaign literature than headlines, scream “Tax Cut, Raises in Gov.’s Proposal.”
On Wednesday the Albuquerque Journal hides the Governor’s proposed tax increases on page B3 under the headline “Governor Unveils Health Proposal” (subscription). This is the second time they have downplayed the tax increases proposed by the Governor.
Let’s take a moment and look at the target of Governor Richardson’s latest proposed tax increases. First, he wants to tax school children:
The grab bag of proposals also calls for imposing a fee on vending machine providers in schools — $250 in elementary schools, $500 in middle schools and $750 in high schools — that will raise about $4 million for children’s health.
Make no mistake, this “fee” will be passed right on through to our children and the poorest among them will be the hardest hit. How do you top a tax like this? Here’s how:
In addition, some nursing home residents and their families could be subject to a potential tax increase to help finance Medicaid next year.
Richardson is recommending the repeal of a tax credit enacted last year to help as many as 1,800 New Mexicans offset a nearly $9-a-day tax on nursing home beds. The state would collect an additional $2 million by the repeal.
Ouch! Rather than show fiscal restraint in his budgeting process, Governor Richardson elects to tax children, the elderly and the infirm. And they say Republicans lack compassion.