The October 2009 issue of Budget & Tax News opens with coverage of a proposed high-speed rail line linking Milwaukee and Madison, Wisconsin—with a price tag of half-a-billion dollars and many unanswered questions.
Also in this issue:
* The Arizona Court of Appeals threw out a $97 million tax incentive for the 144-acre ‘Taj Ma-Mall’ shopping center in Glendale, saying it violated a provision of the state constitution—a provision common to many state constitutions.
* The top tax rates in 39 states—local, state, and federal taxes combined—would climb above 50 percent under a Democratic Party plan to overhaul the nation’s health care system.
* Two weeks after Illinois entered fiscal year 2010 without a budget, Gov. Pat Quinn (D) signed a compromise plan, but a nearly $4 billion deficit looms.
* Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell (D) promised secret negotiations with legislative leaders to restart a stalled budget process as state workers publicly protested receiving only partial wage payments since June.
* An Illinois municipality has unplugged its red-light enforcement cameras because they were successful in bringing in money but did nothing to improve traffic safety.
