So How Much Does The State Really Spend?

Something confusing popped up in our segment yesterday about Question 3, the referendum on the Massachusetts ballot this November that would roll back the sales tax to 3 percent from the current 6.25 percent. WBUR's Curt Nickisch, in setting the conversation up, said Question 3 would take about $2.5 billion away from the state budget, which is currently "upwards of about $30 billion." Question 3 booster Carla Howell later rejected that number; "total state spending is not $30 billion; it's $52 billion," she said.

So what gives? We invite WBUR's Curt Nickisch back to explain.

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