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DC’s budget is growing at a faster pace than economic fundamentals can support | The DC Line

April 02, 2019
  • D.C. Policy Center

On April 2, 2019, D.C. Policy Center Yesim Sayin Taylor’s commentary was published in The DC Line:

Relying on short-term revenue fixes to pay for spending increases doesn’t bode well for fair and competitive tax policy. Yet this is one of several troubling aspects of Mayor Muriel Bowser’s budget proposals now under review by the DC Council. The expenditure projections tell us a lot about the future shape of the District’s fiscal policy — and seem to signal that tax increases could be in the offing in future years.

On March 19, the mayor introduced her fiscal year 2020 budget, along with a four-year financial plan that goes through FY 2023 (which can be found in Chapter 2 of the Executive Summary). Much of the discussion since then has focused on the expenditure side — what was funded and what was shortchanged. The revenue side of the 2020 budget has received some attention, too (see here and here), but the changes to the revenue structure and longer-term expectations baked into the four-year financial plan also require careful examination…

Keep reading: DC’s budget is growing at a faster pace than economic fundamentals can support | The DC Line

Related: The District’s Proposed Fiscal Year 2020 Budget is a Harbinger of Great Fiscal Reckoning | D.C. Policy Center

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D.C. Policy Center


Established in 2016, the D.C. Policy Center is a non-partisan research and policy organization committed to advancing policies for a strong and vibrant economy in the District of Columbia. Through rigorous research and collaboration, the D.C. Policy Center develops and tests policy ideas, disseminates its findings, and engages in constructive dialogue and debate.

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