Some states asking the tax man to get tougher

MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) — Vermont is among a handful of states looking to shore up revenues without raising taxes by making sure that current tax laws are enforced fully.

Vermont, Idaho and Oklahoma all hired additional tax auditors during the recent recession when revenues were lagging and have reaped millions of dollars as a result.

But in Vermont, there's been some resistance as aggrieved taxpayers have gone to lawmakers complaining that tax collectors are coming down too hard on them.

This year, lawmakers responded by canceling or placing a moratorium on the state's efforts to tax the toothbrushes given out by dentists, meals served at senior housing facilities, and software provided over the Internet in so-called cloud computing applications.

The latest installment in a joint project by The Associated Press and Associated Press Media Editors on the fiscal crisis facing U.S. states and cities and how American lives will change because of it.