“Budget” likely isn’t the best word for describing the spending plan New York Gov. Kathy Hochul put forward Tuesday.

Yes, that’s the word used in the state Constitution to describe the package of appropriations and laws the governor must present each year.

But “budgets” are what families use to prioritize how they spend their income — an exercise in constant scrutiny, asking whether the cost of an expense is, first, accurate and if so, necessary.

It involves evaluating tradeoffs, hunting constantly for efficiencies and weighing the prudence of spending versus saving.

But New York doesn’t “budget” in any readily recognized or responsible way.

Hochul’s fiscal 2027 spending plan would increase state spending more than 6%, twice the expected rate of inflation.

That’s not a one-off: Spending had already ballooned 49% over the previous seven years.

The bloat has not been uniform.

Two parts of the state budget will next year make up more than half........

© New York Post