NEWS CONFERENCE 223

Q. Governor, also on the tax question, Baltimore City officials recent-
ly realized that the combined surtaxes, both mandatory and voluntary,
are going to bring the City about $2 million less than the figure you
sent to the Legislature indicated. Do you have any comment on this?

A. I'm always leary of these estimates of less money being received.
If I weren't, I wouldn't be living as dangerously as I am with revenue
estimates for the State, because some of our fiscal people are telling us
that we are not going to receive as much money as we hope we are. The
last revenue estimate on the sales tax indicates the proceeds are off a
projected $2 million. That was put out by the Comptroller's office.
I'm not sure that we can depend entirely on these. The economy
changes and fluctuates so quickly that it's very seldom that we have a
poor result that's serious enough to cause any concern in the overall
picture.

Q. Governor, how recently was that sales tax reduction?

A. I think it has been within the last month. It was published by
the Comptroller. It seems to me that I saw a report in one of the news-
papers.

Q. Governor, an organization known as the Fighting Taxpayers' As-
sociation is attempting to petition the tax reform program to referen-
dum. They claim they have already collected something like 5, 000
signatures. Are you concerned with this move or do you agree with
some of the officials that this can't be done anyway, so let's ignore it?

A. My interpretation is that this type law is not subject to a referen-
dum. I can't imagine any kind of tax increase in any period in our
history that would not have gone to referendum. I have no concern
about it whatsoever. I am continually concerned about the lack of
public understanding about the tax program, and you gentlemen are
tempting me again to open up with another commercial about how
good this tax program is. But I'm going to resist it and simply say

look what happened to the property taxes last year, and look what

happened to them last year, and then decide whether this is really all
burdensome or whether there aren't some relief factors connected with
it.

Q. On that same note, Governor, whose fault is it that the public is so
badly informed about the tax program? Do you think it is the press's
fault?

A. No, I don't think so. I think it's a general chore on the part of the