By John Lyon
Arkansas News Bureau
LITTLE ROCK — Gov. Mike Beebe said Wednesday his support of a bill repealing the state’s tax on mini-warehouses and self-storage services is the fulfillment of a campaign promise he made four years ago, while running for governor.

“I might not should have made that promise four years ago, but I made it and I stuck with it,” Beebe said when asked to explain his support for the bill.

In the final weeks of the session, which wraps up Thursday, Beebe’s office worked to defeat several House bills that would have cut various taxes. However, Beebe did not oppose Senate Bill 2 by Sen. Bobby Glover, D-Carlisle, which has passed in both the House and Senate and has been sent to the governor’s desk.

Several House members have complained about the defeat of their bills, noting that some of the measures carried a smaller revenue impact than Glover’s bill. The impact of SB 2 on state revenues is estimated at $4.2 million a year, though the bill would not take effect until July 1, 2011.

“The House members were very irritated about that issue, and I understand that. They were irritated for the last three or four weeks. … But you know, they still love me,” Beebe said.

Beebe said he probably could have justified not following through on his promise, given the economic outlook, “but they did put it off for two years, and in the big scheme of things it’s relatively small.”

He added, “If that’s what you want to write about tomorrow, that’s OK, but we’ve got a lot bigger things than that.”