BATON ROUGE (AP) — Louisiana's candidates for governor share near-uniform agreement that the state's budget practices are abysmal and need reform.
They also largely agree on some of the causes for the perpetual financial problems, like on overreliance on short-term revenue sources to pay for ongoing state expenses and an ever-growing list of tax break giveaways with little review of their effectiveness.
And because they've provided so few specifics on their tax plans, the four men vying to move into the governor's mansion in January also have yet to strike strong contrasts about how they'd fix the fiscal mess.
Sure, the candidates for the Oct. 24 election have distinctions in their opinions on the Common Core education standards, the expansion of Louisiana's Medicaid program and a variety of other issues.
But they each describe the state's tax and fiscal policy as one of their top priorities — and that's where they're short on details about precisely what they want to change.
At the many forums held to size up candidates, Republican Public Service Commissioner Scott Angelle, Republican Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne, Democratic state Rep. John Bel Edwards and Republican U.S. Sen. David Vitter describe a state careening from one budget crisis to the next.
Angelle says the state goes "from fire drill to fire drill." Dardenne says "the first order of business has got to be to unravel the mess." Edwards describes a "structural budget deficit." Vitter talks of a need for "fundamental tax and spending reform."
Each says they'd call a special legislative session shortly after taking office, to make long-term financial changes that will end the continued cycle of budget shortfalls and deficits that repeatedly leave public colleges and health services vulnerable to deep cuts.
As for what exactly they propose to do in that session, that's where things get murkier.
Vitter said he wants to remove many of the spending protections that limit where cuts can be made. He talks of doing a "sober cost-benefit analysis" of the state's more than $7 billion in tax breaks. He said he wants to cut some tax rates to promote economic growth.
Angelle said he wants to create an Exemption Review Conference, to determine if the state is getting a strong benefit from its tax credits, exemptions, deductions and rebates. He describes a "messy and complicated" tax structure that needs to be fairer and more transparent.
Edwards said he wants to look at all tax breaks to determine "what is working and what is not." He talks of putting expiration dates on tax breaks to try to force a regular review of their effectiveness. He slams Jindal's reliance on anti-tax activist Grover Norquist for tax guidance.
Dardenne also wants a widespread review of existing tax breaks. He said he'd consider getting rid of sales tax holidays and seek to minimize refundable tax credits where the state gives out tax breaks greater than a person's or business' tax liability.
Both Dardenne and Edwards point to a study recently done for the Legislature by LSU and Tulane economists as a good starting point for the tax talks they want to have, which can offer a bit of insight.
But no candidate so far has detailed enough of a tax policy that would allow a person to compare and contrast them.
What tax breaks do candidates think are performing poorly and should be scaled back or eliminated? No particulars. What spending protections should be removed? No details.
The Baton Rouge Area Chamber last week issued a report urging more specificity from candidates about the budgeting policies they'd pursue in a special session.
"It's not too soon, or unreasonable, for voters to call upon candidates to clearly state what, exactly, will be included," says the report, which recommends ways to minimize the restrictions that give lawmakers less room to maneuver in budgeting.
But when candidates get specific, they can alienate voters, campaign donors, lobbyists and constituencies. Providing detail could cost someone support. In a race where no one's guaranteed a spot in the runoff, that's a risk candidates so far seem reticent to take.
– by AP Reporter Melinda Deslatte
