In an op-ed published by USA Today on Sunday, Gov. Bobby Jindal defends his recently-released $24.6 billion proposal for the budget year that begins July 1, as well as his pledge against new taxes as the state grapples to close a projected $1.6 billion gap during the legislative session that begins April 13.
“For next year’s budget, a dramatic drop in oil prices has meant less money for state government. That’s OK. It should come as no surprise to anyone that we plan to address this challenge by continuing to cut the size of government without raising taxes,” Jindal writes, adding the state budget is nearly $9 billion smaller than it was when he took office in 2008, and includes 30,000 fewer state workers.
Jindal defends his anti-tax pledge by saying he refuses “to place the burden of lower-than-expected state revenue on the backs of individuals and businesses” in the form of higher taxes. He says state government will have to get smaller and become more efficient during tight budget times.
“We understand the importance of setting priorities. In our proposed budget, we have outlined ways to minimize budget reductions to vital services such as higher education and health care. We proposed smart reforms to our tax code to cut more than $500 million in corporate welfare, and to redirect those dollars to higher education and health care,” Jindal writes. “Just like every year, there are some who will criticize us for cutting government again and refusing to raise taxes. But I do not measure Louisiana’s success by the prosperity of our government, I measure it by the prosperity of our people. It’s true that fiscal responsibility isn’t easy. But it works. In Louisiana, I am proud to say the economy is bigger, the government is smaller and our state is stronger than ever.”
