BUDGET CHAIRMAN SAYS STATE IS NOT OVERTAXING MISSOURIANS

The chairman of the Missouri House Budget Committee contended Saturday that citizens of Missouri are not overtaxed and that state government is not as inefficient as many people want to believe.

"To say we are overtaxed is ludicrous; we are the lowest taxed state in the nation," said Rep. Chris Kelly, D-Columbia, in remarks to the annual meeting of the Southeast Missouri Press Association. "As compared to the other 49 states, we are simply not overtaxed or overgoverned. We're right there at the bottom, and it shows."

Kelly maintained the time had come in Missouri to increase funding for vital services, not only elementary and secondary education, but also higher education, mental health, and other areas.

"It is always easy to say I don't want to pay more taxes because they (government) are inefficient," said Kelly. "This is an eternal human dilemma ... it is not an excuse to put our schools further down the tubes.

"I invite you to spend the day with me on one of these department budgets, and I think you will go away with a new appreciation of the fact there is not a lot of fraud and abuse in there."

Kelly said state government has not grown excessively in recent years. For example, he said that over the last seven years 600 jobs have been cut in the mental health department and employees have not had a raise in three years.

He said the 3.7 percent growth projected for the next fiscal year budget will amount to $189 million, with all but $30 million absorbed by federal mandates, desegregation, and other nondiscretionary spending.

Kelly expressed strong support for Gov. Carnahan's proposed tax increase for education, which would be funded by an increase in the local tax levy, $365 million in new taxes, and $50 million in cuts from other areas of the state budget.

Kelly said Missouri is not only to the point it can't compete with the educational system in Japan, but it is also falling behind neighboring states.

"This is a namby pamby tax increase," said Kelly. "When we were beating Proposition B, the people of Oklahoma were passing a $1 billion tax increase for elementary and secondary education.

"Money isn't everything, but you get to the point where you are undermining the educational structure that you have to go spend more money. Until people of this state want to face up to it, they are going to get crummier schools."

Kelly said despite State Auditor Margaret Kelly's argument to the contrary, he believes the legislature can pass the tax increase for education without a vote of the people. He said the auditor is counting some reimbursements as state revenue that should not be counted.

He argued that it is the General Assembly's responsibility to vote the additional money for education. "We're going to do it in the legislature as we should," said Kelly. "I got sent there to use my judgment - to do what is right for the people of Missouri."

If voters don't like the way representatives vote, Kelly said they can vote them out in the next election.

"It's not our job to punt to the people; it's our job to fix it.

Kelly said he and Senate Appropriations Chairman Norman Merrell have an agreement with the governor that if additional funding for elementary and secondary education is approved this year, in future years the normal revenue growth will be applied to other areas of state government.

At Saturday's banquet, David Bloom, editor of the Jackson Cashbook-Journal, assumed the role as president of the SEMO Press Association. Southeast Missourian Editor Ken Newton has held the job the last two years.