Tax group: Mass. still faces budget gap

BOSTON – A Massachusetts-based independent fiscal watchdog warned Thursday that the state is still facing a huge financial shortfall despite the Patrick administration’s and legislature’s best efforts to balance the budget.
The Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation this week released a bulletin, titled “State Fiscal Crisis – No End in Sight,” which estimates the state is still facing a $300 million to $500 million deficit in the current fiscal year, even though the governor and Legislature just began implementing $484 million in cuts.
“The implications are getting more and more serious in terms of basic services, whether it’s local schools, fire and police or human service programs or health care or public higher education,” Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation Executive Director Michael Widmer told WBUR-FM 90.9.
Gov. Deval L. Patrick said in a statement last week that revenue from a “significant” tax settlement the Mass. Department of Revenue agreed to last week, coupled with a “modest” increase in tax collections above the state’s benchmark, will allow the state to avoid further budget cuts for now.