No tax, new tax

Was it an odd coincidence or an act of political purpose that Rep. Eric Pettigrew chose Wednesday to drop his bill for a sales tax hike?

It was not only the deadline for filing your federal income taxes, it was also the day that 5,000 people came to the Capitol to urge lawmakers to not raise their taxes.

It’s in and House Bill 2377 is pretty much what folks have been talking about around here for awhile.

It is a ballot measure for a third of a penny increase – about three cents on a $10 purchase – for three years starting Jan. 1. That means it expires Dec. 31, 2012.

Using state Department of Revenue calculations, an increase this size could generate about $300 million to $350 million a year.

Pettigrew’s bill is pretty specific.The bill details $483 million worth of spending broken down this way:

$167 million – Basic Health Plan

$77.25 million – long term care and nursing homes

$75 million – hospitals

$24.2 million – community mental health centers

$13.35 million – reimburse providers of health care to children

$19.2 million – Healthy Options

$Z3 million – local public health providers

Another $105 million is earmarked for the Working Families Tax Credit program in the next biennium; $32 million in the first year and $73 million in the second year.

This program doesn’t exist in a way that those dollars could be doled out. At least not yet.

There are 10 days left, plenty of time, right?