RESEARCH

NASHVILLE – The Tennessee Center for Policy Research today released a policy brief in response to the governor’s proposed 2010-2011 state budget. The release, titled Attaining a Balanced Budget for the State of Tennessee, applauds many of the steps taken by the governor, but calls for additional cuts, fewer tax increases, and the privatization of various government services. According to the brief, the state could privatize or outright eliminate certain programs, balancing the budget without the proposed $72 million in tax increases. “The governor is proposing some difficult but necessary budget reductions,” noted Justin Owen, the director of policy at the Tennessee Center for Policy Research. “However, there’s plenty of room to make additional cuts without raising taxes on Tennessee families.” Given the current revenue shortfall the state faces, the brief calls on lawmakers to consider privatizing a variety of government functions, such as driver’s license facilities, state-owned golf courses, and numerous other programs throughout state government. These measures would not only help balance the current year’s budget, but alleviate future budgetary constraints and stave off potential tax increases as well. ——————————— CORRECTION: The original brief posted here incorrectly referred to $394.2 billion in budget cuts. This has been corrected to reflect the accurate amount of $394.2 million. We apologize for the error.