FISCAL: A Little Extra Milk

Around the U.S. last week, state governments were cautiously squeezing a little extra milk out of taxpayers. Since Jan. 1, 22 states had levied one or more new taxes, or had hiked up old ones. Faced with wage raises for public employees and increased operating costs, 15 states had passed cigaret tax laws; nine had raised taxes on liquor; four had started sales taxes. Taxpayers, long used to this kind of pasture milking, made no attempt to kick over the bucket. But there was a great deal of angry tail-switching.