Deficits persist in future years

HARTFORD, Conn. –Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s budget director told the news media Wednesday that the budget numbers end with 2015 and it would be wrong to report that there are deficits in 2016, 2017, and 2018.

However, if the consensus revenues adopted by the nonpartisan Office of Fiscal Analysis and Malloy’s budget office are compared to the spending estimates from legislative analysts, then there will be a $1.29 billion and $1.47 billion deficits awaiting the next General Assembly and governor.

“Spending has only been adopted through 2015,” Ben Barnes, Malloy’s budget director, said Wednesday. “We’re going to propose recommendations to adjust the appropriations for 2015. There’s no budget in place for any year after fiscal 2015. There’s no such thing, in my view, as a deficit or a surplus in years in which there is no appropriation in place.”

If that logic is applied to before Malloy took office, it would mean he did not inherit a $3.67 billion deficit.

“Um,” Barnes replied. “Eh. I don’t want to say that.”

See the complete story at CT News Junkie.