The great parlor debate of 2008 in state Capitol circles has been whether Governor Schwarzenegger’s proposed budget and its across-the-board cut in every sector of government is really a Trojan horse of sorts for some kind of eventual tax increase.

The governor’s team, and he himself, have flatly denied it… and fair enough. But the new PPIC poll numbers may only fuel the discussion.

The new poll finds that 56% of voters are “very concerned” about the effects of spending cuts proposed by Schwarzenegger. And only 30% say they support a budget that would be balanced with spending cuts alone.

With that in mind, 42% of voters now favor a mix of tax hikes and cuts to balance the budget… something lobbied for by legislative Democrats. Of course, only 25% of Republicans surveyed favor this option; who said GOP members of the Legislature don’t represent their constituents?