state budgets

A handful of cash-strapped states are getting aggressive about collecting every tax owed -- hiring more collectors, hounding scofflaws and exploiting corners of their tax laws that haven't been enforced in years -- all to avoid doing one painful thing: officially raising taxes.

As states grapple with huge budget deficits, some of them are eliminating sales taxes for back-to-school shoppers. But are sales tax holidays really a good value for consumers? Experts discuss the true costs of the programs and some of the alternatives.

The debt-ceiling discussions may be over, but the fallout for states is just starting. Many states, still struggling to recover to pre-recession levels, have depended on federal money to make up their shortfalls. As the flow of money slows, which states will take the biggest hits?

Lotteries are big businesses in most states, and they can provide windfalls for both the winning ticket-holders and state coffers. But which states give the most back to ticket-holders and through government services?

Wall Street and the media have been fixated with the debt crises in countries such as Greece, Portugal and Ireland. But we're not hearing nearly enough about a much bigger economy closer to home that's on the brink of disaster. We're talking about California -- the eighth largest economy in the...

It's funny how government budget cuts trickle down to everyday people. I live in California, which ranks second on U.S. News & World Report's "pain index" of states that have suffered the biggest budget pains and have been forced to institute both tax increases and spending cuts. I can say...

Gov. Chris Christie's first budget aims to close an $11 billion shortfall -- and it ain't pretty. The fight over it will be vicious, even considering the rough-and-tumble nature of Jersey politics.

A National Governors Association report based on findings from 45 state treasurers shows that states, despite having made deep expense cuts, face widening budget gaps in the coming years. In 2011, total deficits in those 45 states are predicted to reach $53.6 billion.

Two cash-strapped cities, Pittsburgh and Providence, have proposed taxing some of their poorest and most vulnerable residents -- college students -- and the local universities are furious. In his recently unveiled 2010 budget proposal, Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl called for levying a...