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The Michigan legislature and Governor Granholm may be interested in
this budget balancing effort. Polluter pays.....imagine that.
California Governor Plans to Hike Fees for Polluters
(Sacramento Bee, 1/21/03) |
| While California’s Gov. Gray Davis looks to
taxpayers to shoulder much of the burden in balancing a state budget
shortfall, the governor also wants farms and other businesses to pony up
more money for using pesticides, releasing runoff into waterways or
spewing air emissions. Davis is pushing for these so-called "polluter
pays" fee increases to help fund three pollution regulatory agencies. In
asking for higher fees, Davis wants to keep money in the state treasury
and alleviate the agencies' dependence on the more volatile, taxpayer-fed
general fund. Tucked inside Davis' $96.4 billion budget proposal is an
increase in a small tax on a broad range of pesticides used on food crops
and other agricultural products, as well as some products used by
consumers, such as chlorine for swimming pools. Davis' proposal also calls
for raising more than $10 million in fees for industries regulated by
state air officials and $13.6 million in fees for those overseen by state
water regulators, yet the targeted industries and the fee amount are
unknown. For more on polluter fees, see http://www.serconline.org/fiscalreform/fiscal_reform_pkg_frameset.htm. |
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