The recently approved 2013-2014 state budget is falling under some criticism from various watchdog groups from across the state. According to a report in Sunday’s Buffalo News, groups from both Washington and Albany are raising serious questions about several budget “gimmicks” the governor omitted from his recent presentations of the budget in Buffalo and Rochester.
Specifically, they are critical of the $350 tax credit for one million households while maintaining a temporary utility tax. They also point to the $750 million swept from an insurance fund for workers’ compensation and lawmakers effort to push into the future current pension costs for localities. Finally, they also criticize a plan to borrow more money to help pay for the renovations at Ralph Wilson Stadium.
One watchdog group president told the Buffalo News that reality is going to hit one of these days, and the state is not going to have the money. State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli is also slightly critical of the budget, saying it relies on significant nonrecurring actions now and in the future. It also includes several new provisions that extend the state’s reliance on public authority debt to meet the state’s spending needs.
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