DAN WALTERS: “Tax expenditures” are a backdoor way for the state to spend money via targeted tax breaks, but they don’t get the same scrutiny as other forms of spending.
As large as the budget may be, it still understates the full extent of state spending because it excludes an under-the-table way of spending money called “tax expenditures.”
The budget that Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed in January totals $286.5 billion – big money by anyone’s measure – and likely to grow because state revenues continue to surpass expectations.
However, as large as the budget may be, it still understates the full extent of state spending because it excludes