[weegee]

No talk of GIVING IT BACK to the taxpayers. We got overcharged and now it will be used to establish a higher minimum budget.

[ClearCase_guy]

If this were to happen in MA, they’d probably rush through a tax increase so that we could hire more people to watch over the money and make sure it gets spent.

[TexasRedeye]

Most of the money can't be spent until lawmakers meet again and adopt spending legislation. GIVE IT BACK! Obviously, the state didn't NEED it!

[tx_eggman]

My dentist over charged me for my last visit. When he closed his quartely books I got a check in the mail

I'm not holding my breath for the folks up in Austin to do the same ...

[RightWhale]

Alaska is still in the black and will be for another couple of years. Also, BP has had another fire and 30,000 barrels a day had to be shut off. Again.

About two years from now Alaska will have to consider the income tax or shut down the State. Guess which?

[AprilfromTexas]

“The increase was brought about by greater revenues, attributable to strong state economic growth, and lower expenditures, attributable to legislative and agency spending restraint,” Combs said.

Sadly, I suspect you are right.

No mention either of future ‘taxation restraint’...God help us when these boneheads get back to Austin and start their spending spree.

[rednesss]

Here in Oregon we have a constitutional provision called "The Kicker Check" that does give back excess taxes. In fact we are getting one this year.

http://www.oregon.gov/DOR/PERTAX/faq-kicker.shtml

Of course they try to repeal it every chance they get though.

[Professional Engineer]

We need more toll roads to fill the gap!

[Between the Lines]

I think that it is great that in Texas any budget surplus automatically goes into the state’s economic stabilization fund (their version of a rainy day fund). Adding $1.5 billion to the fund will put it at near the highest level ever.

[isthisnickcool]

In Friendswood, Texas a new city councilmen was elected who decided to look at the city's books. He discovered that the city had a lot of unspent cash and eventually they gave it back to the taxpayers. A tax refund! The city councilman is a CPA (who supports the Fair Tax) and is currently running against Ron Paul for Paul's Congressional seat:

Chris Peden for Congress

If you want to drive the Ron Paul people crazy send money to this guy....

[KarlInOhio]

I was pleased to see in the Chronicle’s comment section that most people said “Send it back to the people” with only a few wanting to run off and spend it on their favorite programs.

[FoxInSocks]

There was a surplus of a couple billion dollars in Virginia a couple years ago. I didn’t get a dime, and I have no idea how that money got wasted.

Unbelievable that there’s a $640 million shortfall this year.

[Squantos]

SOB’s in Austin need a wake up call........ Time to vote every polidiot out of office in Texas and the rest of the US. The professional polidiot should go the way of the dinosaur’s.....

[anymouse]

Shouldn’t we be pressing our State Legislature to refund at least some of this surplus back to us taxpayers? Given a $7B budget, surely there is some unessessary spending in there that could also be better spent by Texas taxpayers.