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It’s happening again. People who should know better are pointing to California’s current budget surplus as proof that the state, the world’s fifth largest economy, is in sound financial shape. That figure is also being used to support the claim that California’s relatively high tax burden and onerous regulations are not too problematic, as CNBC’s Robert Frank did on Squawk Box the morning after Tax Day.
The surplus figure cited by Frank and others has two problems: it’s both misleading and paints an incomplete picture of the Golden State’s finances. The truth is that there is no revenue surplus had by California state government. In fact, the state’s long-run obligations far exceed projected revenue collections to the tune of $1 trillion in unfunded pension liabilities alone. When factoring in the cost of non-pension benefits for state workers, such as health care for retired government employees, the debt facing California taxpayers rises further.
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