Speaker Larry Cretul, R-Ocala, said the state House would consider the Senate’s cigarette tax hike and gambling package as a way to boost slumping state tax collections, if Senate President Jeff Atwater, R-North Palm Beach, would accept about $500 million in budget cuts from the House.

Listen to Cretul’s message here.

The message is significant, because the House has refused to discuss tax increases this year.

But Cretul said he doesn’t want to approve a budget that will lead to future shortfalls. The current Senate budget, he said, would hand lawmakers a $2 billion shortfall in 2011.

“The availability of stimulus dollars will begin to decline and the state’s budget deficit will once against expand,” Cretul said. “We need to look at the state budget from a three year perspective.”

Senate and House lawmakers still have not met in formal budget negotiations, which were scheduled to start Saturday. Before the two chambers can meet, Cretul and Atwater must agree to a set dollar amount for the budget. Only then can conference committees meet to hash out how the money will be spent.

Or, in the House’s case, not spent.

Lawmakers have until Tuesday, April 28 to agree on a budget in order to finish on time on May 1.

Tags: cigarette taxes, gambling, Larry Cretul, state budget, State House

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