Alabama must pursue revenue  Published 9:55pm Monday, September
26, 2011  Alabama’s new fiscal year begins October 1. Unlike
most states we have two operating budgets. We, of course, have a
general fund budget, but we also have a special education trust
fund budget. Many of you may be surprised to know that currently
over two thirds of all state tax dollars go into this education
budget. As late as 30 years ago the two budgets were
approximately 50/50 in their receipts.  The dollars that
education receives have crept up over the last three decades
because the fund’s primary sources of income are from the
state’s sales and income tax collections. These two rich veins
of revenue have increased incrementally over the years as
people’s incomes have risen. It has a doubling effect when they
spend this increased income and sales tax is collected on their
purchases.  These earmarked taxes were good for education in the
1980’s and 1990’s. However, we have been in a deep severe
recession for close to five years. What