Spotlight on $pending Report

OVER $220 MILLION IN WASTEFUL SPENDING detailed.

When the political class says it can’t be done … this is how to pay for tax and other reforms!

Fat Tuesday = Fat Rhode Island

March 3, 2014
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RI one of only five “Fat Tuesday” states!

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Rhode Island ranks among the five worst “Fat Tuesday States” when it comes to bloated interest expenses on debt per person, according to  data released yesterday by Truth In Accounting, and commented on today by the Rhode Island Center for Freedom and Prosperity, a nonpartisan, state-based think tank. Taking on new bond projects would worsen this ranking.
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“Fat” states, according to the data, have high levels of interest payments per capital based on total debt, both state and local. Rhode Island suffers from a related debt burden of approximately $14,000 per person, about 50% higher than the 50-state average.
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According to data specially provided to the Center by Truth In Accounting, Rhode Island has seen a 60% increase in this ‘interest expense’ measure since 2006, more than twice the 28% average increase of the five fat states, and the largest increase of any state in the nation during this period, which, ironically, is a period that has seen interest rates dramatically decrease.
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“Not only do we spend-and-tax at levels significantly higher than our state can sustain, but we also pile massive debt burdens on the backs of our taxpayers,” said Mike Stenhouse, CEO for the Center. “These interest payments alone can crowd out spending on other critical budget areas such as education, infrastructure, and public assistance. Just another reason why a new repeal and roll back policy culture is needed in Rhode Island.”
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The Governor’s FY-2015 budget would add to this debt and interest expense with about $275 million in proposed new bond projects. This would mean that approximately $36 million in additional interest debt service payments would be imposed on the state’s budget, or another $36 per resident per year on top of an already worst “fat five” ranking.
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“With Lent beginning this week, perhaps the Ocean State should go on a leaner diet, instead of devouring even more fatty pork,” suggested Stenhouse.
With the Ocean State’s economy burning all around us, politicians just keep fiddling the same old spend-and-tax tune

Non-essential Spending in Rhode Island

HOW CAN TAX CUTS BE PAID FOR? Read about non-essential spending that can be trimmed in our report preview. It is simply a matter of setting spending priorities so that crushing tax burdens can be lessened for all Rhode Island families and businesses.

[button url=”http://www.rifreedom.org/?p=10237″ target=”_self” size=”medium” style=”royalblue” ] Report Preview: Pork Spending[/button]

Non-Essential Spending in RI: How to Pay for Tax Cuts

Non-Essential Spending

in the Ocean State

Budget Savings vs Job Creation

February 24, 2014
Report Preview (check back in March for complete report)

With the state of Rhode Island in economic crisis, and with massive structural budget deficits projected for years to come, Ocean State lawmakers have the opportunity to both grow the economy and reduce deficits by trimming non-essential spending and cutting taxes in the FY2015 state budget.

Good government is about setting spending priorities, so that opportunities exist for those who wish to succeed. Creating jobs and savings for Rhode Island families while reducing the crushing tax burden on the state’s business sector must be weighed against the excessive and often wasteful spending for projects that produce little or no benefit to the average resident.

Developed in cooperation with the national Taxpayers Protection Alliance, the full Spotlight on Wasteful Spending report, which will be released in March by our Center, will outline over two-hundred million dollars in opportunities for savings without cutting budgets for essential services such as education, public assistance programs, aid to cities and towns, or infrastructure. Examples of pork spending projects that can be repealed or rolled-back in order to effect tax reform,  include:

With the Ocean State’s economy burning all around us, politicians just keep fiddling the same old spend-and-tax tune

With the Ocean State’s economy burning all around us, politicians just keep fiddling the same old spend-and-tax tune

  • $38 million to defund HealthsourceRI and transfer the exchange to the federal government
  • $26 million to privatize the money-losing Convention Center Authority
  • $14 million for higher education ‘capital’ projects
  • $12 million to forgo payment of the 38 Studios ‘moral obligation’ bond
  • $9 million in corporate welfare handouts
  • $8 million in often crony spending from the Governor’s Workforce Board
  • $8 million in Community Service Grants from the legislature
  • $5 million in waste and fraud from SNAP
  • $3 million from the Facilities Management budget
  • $2.5 million for a sailing center
  • $1 million in Legislative Grants

These items, plus an additional $100 million or so in dubious spending and other savings opportunities will be discussed in the upcoming March report. Other areas where non-essential budget savings can be realized include: state government operations and excessive overtime compensation; occupational licensing management costs; non-vital commissions and other bureaucratic entities; historical preservation projects; arts & culture subsidies and film incentives; and more.

It is a myth, often perpetuated by those who defend the status quo spending levels, that tax reform ideas that are non revenue-neutral would result in cuts to critical state services. This report clearly shows otherwise – that frivolous spending is rampant. In reality, tax and budget reforms can happen if proper spending priorities are considered.

To help ensure that unnecessary spending practices will not re-emerge, the Center’s full report will also recommend creation of a fully-empowered Office of the Inspector General. The Center also supports the concept of an “Office of the Repealer”, which would have  the sole responsibility of making recommendations to the legislature in areas of government waste, duplication and out-of-date regulations that should be removed from the state law. Related ‘repealer’ legislation is before the RI General Assembly in 2014.

When it comes to tax and budget reforms that will help Rhode Island families and businesses, public debate must ask the critical question:

Are keeping non-essential spending items worth denying renewed economic opportunities for Rhode Island families?