SACRAMENTO — Some big targets were left largely untouched in Gov. Jerry Brown’s call for shared sacrifice in his proposed budget. In his plan to raise $12 billion in taxes, Brown avoided a source of revenue Democrats have been going after for years: oil severance fees. Extra taxes on alcohol, tobacco and the wealthy, also targets of Democrats in recent years, were also bypassed. And, in a nod to his labor allies, Brown did little to ... Jump to full article >>

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Smokers in Anchorage can expect to shell out 75 cents more for a pack of cigarettes in 2011. Money from the tobacco tax, which is also an effort to cut down on the number of smokers, will be filtered back into the community. Anchorage Assembly Chair Dick Traini says the tax is expected to raise over $5 million a year. That money will go toward offsetting property taxes and into the Anchorage Fire Department’s budge ... Jump to full article >>

Now that the worst kept secret in politics seems to be semi-officially out — another special election about the state budget — keep your eye on one of the wild cards: the campaign won’t just be about the budget. That’s because California’s election laws say that once an initiative has qualified for the ballot, it will be considered in the next statewide election — regardless of whether it’s a scheduled e ... Jump to full article >>

Angie Prior from Axminster’s The Sweet Shop says Britain must live within its means and the Chancellor should take the action needed including encouraging more successful business people to act like chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall Angie Prior’s shop is right next door to Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s River Cottage Store & Canteen in Axminster and she’s quite pleased about that fact. “When I come here it was li ... Jump to full article >>

Health advocates say Kentucky’s bleak budget has one bright spot — it funds a long-sought program to help people on Medicaid stop smoking,Lawmakers allocated $1.5 million a year for the next two fiscal years that, combined with additional federal matching money, will give Medicaid officials about $11 million for the program. “We’re thrilled it finally got the funding,” said Amy Barkley of the Campaign for Tobacco Fr ... Jump to full article >>

George Osborne is planning to eradicate Britain’s budget deficit by emulating Canada, where borrowing was brought under control within just three years by spending cuts of 20 per cent. The Chancellor will announce a “once-in-a-generation” revolution in public spending inspired by Canada in the mid-1990s, when the government turned a budget deficit of nine per cent of GDP into a surplus. Canada brought public spending under con ... Jump to full article >>

Gov. Pat Quinn insisted on Tuesday that unlike lawmakers, he’s willing to make the tough decisions to cut spending – he’s just not quite ready to say how. At a news conference after an appearance at a Chicago elementary school, the governor would not talk specifics about how he will address a state budget approved by lawmakers that left open a $13 billion shortfall. “We are going to have to make cuts across the board,” ... Jump to full article >>

Altria Client Services Inc., on behalf of the nation’s biggest cigarette maker, spent $3.1 million lobbying the federal government in the first quarter on issues including the budget, tobacco and health care, according to a recent disclosure form. This is less than the $3.6 million the company spent on lobbying a year earlier, but more than the $2.6 million it spent in the fourth quarter of 2009. Other issues Altria lobbied on in January t ... Jump to full article >>

Two of the three Democrats who want to be South Carolina’s next governor would use tax increases to help ease a looming budget crisis. The third says the fix is simple: Simply allow video poker to return and tax it. State Sen. Robert Ford says he wants to fix the budget with gambling. State Education Superintendent Jim Rex and state Sen. Vincent Sheheen say the state should consider tax increases such as raising the sales tax cap on cars. ... Jump to full article >>

This is the budget that brings home the smoked bacon. And cheaper cholesterol pills. Because it turns out that the ol’ CIGS UP! budget headline tax trick accounts for the biggest single “savings” measure in Wayne Swan’s third budget. The only disappointment was that the Treasurer didn’t conduct his press conference while lounging half-naked in a bed of fragrant, fresh tobacco. S’pose that’s Tony Abbott&# ... Jump to full article >>