House Minority Leader Bradley H. Jones, Jr. issued the following statement today after receiving a copy of the Governor’s Fiscal Year 2013 budget proposal. I welcome the Governor’s Fiscal Year 2013 budget proposal and look forward to combing through it.
The residents of Massachusetts are ready for fiscal responsibility. Yet as proposed, the Governor’s budget fails to deliver. The Patrick Administration has indicated their plans for $260 million in tax and fee increases as well as taking $400 million from our surplus. But these recommendations come at a severe cost to the taxpayer. In these dire economic times, we must explore and exhaust all other potential avenues before we consider raising taxes and fees as the Governor plans to do.
While I commend the Governor for realizing the importance of fostering job growth in Massachusetts, I fail to see how his various proposals will meet that expectation. What he hasn’t addressed is how his Administration will provide more opportunities for small businesses, which make up 98 percent of our businesses statewide and employ 47 percent of our private-sector workforce. We need job creation not elimination.
While one could appreciate his retention of a Republican-led initiative to restore monies to cities and towns, there are serious questions whether this budget meets their needs.
I applaud the Governor for delivering a timely budget. But it will be some time before we know whether or not his numbers and proposals add up.
