The state income tax cuts were not funded when enacted because there wasn’t any money. It is reasonable to assume that the supporters believed that when the government’s revenues recovered from the recession, that it was better to cut taxes than grow government.

Well, the recovery has not happened as quickly as hoped. We can’t pay for the tax cuts unless we increase sales and property taxes by an unconscionable amount. Asking for people on fixed and low incomes to pay for a tax cut that primarily benefits the rich is unfair by any measure. Asking school systems to butcher their educational programs to mitigate the loss of state aid simply asks our children to pay for the tax cuts, also unquestionably unfair.

Until we can afford to cut the income tax without cutting essential programs or raising other taxes (directly or indirectly), the income tax cuts should be postponed.

Stephen Hayes

Augusta