Budgets and Taxes and Pay Cuts, Oh My!

I hate the word budget -I've never been good at doing it. Once you set aside all the money for rent, bills, food and the essentials, there is hardly anything left for fun. Maybe it's because I'm left-handed, but I always budget backwards. Right now my essentials include spring clothes, magazines, sunglasses and a new party dress. Whatever is left, I scrounge up to keep my lights on - besides, there's always candles. Budget smudget.

Wendi, my political and local PR activist, sent me a NY Daily News article this morning about the proposed 2009-2010 New York budget.

Brace yourselves drinkers, smokers, drivers and cell-phone users (aka: everyone).


"Just as the Chinese emperors of old imposed the Death of a Thousand Cuts, the New York State Democrats are proposing the Death of a Thousand Hikes.
Drafted in shameful secrecy, the new budget has a host of hikes that are incidental when taken one at a time:
A 500% hike in the surcharge on utilities, an average of $100 a year.
A $90 increase in the cost of health insurance.
A $1.20-a-month "public safety" tax on cell phones.
Another "public safety" surcharge: $10 a year on car insurance policies.
A 75-cent increase in the fee for a learner's driving permit.
A 24% hike in car registration fees.
A 4% increase in the tax on car service fares.
A 9% increase in the cigar tax.
A 58% increase in the wine tax.
A 27% increase in the beer tax.
Together, the increases are burdensome in already hard times, more so because the budget preserves as sacred $170 million in political pork."

To read the full article, follow this link: http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2009/03/30/2009-03-30_new_york_state_democrats_cheer_as_rest_o.html


Note to self: add candles to list of spring essentials - a blackout could be coming by way of my apartment.