News & Public Affairs

Bill Heller looks ahead to Legislative session listen

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Tags: State budget, deficit, cigarette tax, Legislature, Charlie Crist

For the third time in 10 months, state lawmakers today began making major cuts in the budget, which has been shattered by a drop in revenues due to a struggling state economy.

The budget cuts will likely be a stopgap measure. During the regular session that begins in March, there will likely be another round of trims, perhaps as large as $4 billion, to balance the coming year's spending plan.

Last week, Gov. Charlie Crist and Republican legislative leaders said that a source of potentia...

Legislator wants to raise cigarette tax listen

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Tags: State budget, deficit, cigarette tax

Florida has one of the lowest tax rates on cigarettes in the country. In the last legislative session, there was a push to increase the state sales tax on a pack of cigarette as a way to raise funds, but it went nowhere.

The state’s budget was in bad shape then; it’s in worse shape now, and the idea of raising taxes there is getting some bi-partisan support as Florida’s economic conditions worsen.

Gov. Charlie Crist could use his bully pulpit to lead on the issue, but the governor appea...

McCain's plan to eliminate deficit in 2013 draws support listen

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Tags: John McCain, Steve Forbes, Deficit

In discussing his economic plan yesterday, John McCain said he’s going to cut the deficit out entirely in his term in office- and says he’ll do it by ending the war in Iraq and Afghanistan or "by winning it." The conflicts have cost U.S. taxpayers $100 billion a year.

Steve Forbes is editor in chief of Forbes magazine and an economic advisor to John McCain. We asked him if what McCain is proposing is possible.