McKay Tapped for Tax Commission: A Good Pick

Governor Bill Crist has made his appointments to the state's Taxation and Budget Reform Commission. Crist's 11 nominees to the commission (the legislature has already appointed 18 members) include one especially notable former lawmaker: John McKay, who as a state senator pushed hard for unpopular but necessary reforms in the state's sales tax.

The Commission is not the result of yet another vague legislative call for "further study" of tax issues-- it was actually created through a constitutional amendment in 1988. Every 20 years, the commission meets to discuss and recommend needed changes to Florida's tax and budget system. The commission can't enact any changes, although it can recommend constitutional ballot changes to voters. The Tampa Tribune's Catherine Dolinski has more on the creation of the Commission-- and what to expect from its deliberations this year-- here.

A skeptic might see the Commission is offering political cover for lawmakers who don't want to make tough choices. And there's probably some truth to this criticism. But if it takes an unelected commission to recommend the difficult choices that elected officials don't have the guts to make on their own, well, that's better than complete inaction. Let's hope lawmakers can at least find the courage to follow up on the Commission's recommendations.