Today, at a Tea Party event in tiny Eustis, Florida, Gov. Rick Scott (R-FL) unveiled his new state budget. Since his time on the campaign trail, Scott has been promising to pair steep budget cuts with reductions in both the corporate and property tax rates. "It's not daunting. It's going to be fun. It's going to be exciting," Scott said when asked about tackling his state's budget woes. He has said that he plans to make Florida the "most fiscally conservative" state in the nation.
True to his word, Scott's budget slashes corporate taxes, while raiding Medicaid services for low-income residents in order to come up with savings:
Gov. Rick Scott on Monday afternoon will unveil a proposed state budget that includes deep spending cuts of an estimated $5 billion and will ask lawmakers to approved a dramatic reduction in property taxes…He also wants to trim about $700 million in corporate income taxes in Florida, which already has one of the nation's lowest rates. [...]
Another big target for savings: the growing health insurance program for the poor and financially challenged, Medicaid. More than half of Medicaid's $20.3 billion tab is picked up by the federal government, which can halt some wholesale changes. Scott and the Legislature can cut up to half of the program's so-called optional services, many of which are popular and are designed to save money, however. Regardless, the state would lose hundreds of millions in federal matching money.
rest at http://thinkprogress.org/2011/02/07/scott-budget-event/
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