Gov. Charlie Baker needs to rein in the big spenders in our state agencies.

He can start at the Mass Cultural Council, where Executive Director Anita Walker, who earns $174,700 a year, has also been furnished a state-leased Toyota Prius with gas and parking privileges.

According to the Herald’s Joe Dwinell and Brooks Sutherland, the lease for the unmarked Prius C III costs $404.63 a month, according to the contract. The parking bill is $340 a month for a spot at the Stuart Street Motor Mart Garage, according to state credit card records. Because the Prius is a hybrid, records vary on the cost of gasoline.

One would assume that Walker might deign to purchase her own vehicle like those in the private sector do since she was just given a $6,700 raise back in April.

No such luck. The taxpayer continues to do the honors.

The Mass Cultural Council is located in the toney Back Bay at 10 St. James Ave., a block away from the Public Garden. The rent is $332,000 a year for the third-floor offices, records show.

The state agency’s lavish bounty isn’t limited to rent and transportation, though. In June, the Herald reported that it had racked up $3,700 in meals at Davio’s, on a state-issued credit card.

When state employees are allowed to live large off the taxpayer, it erodes the public’s faith in their government. There is a fundamental unfairness in providing creature comforts to employees just because their paychecks come from the state. The state’s paychecks come from the hardworking taxpayers who are burdened every day with the cost of meals and travel and parking and rent, etc., etc.

This information came to light only after the Boston Herald requested records. How many other Priuses and $200 cookie orders are out there?

Gov. Baker must trim the fat on all of this. No more cars or expensive lunches, and certainly no high-priced digs a stone’s throw from Newbury Street. There is plenty of cheap office space in Mattapan with plenty of parking, and we’re sure some of the wonderful restaurants there would love to do business with agencies like the Mass Cultural Council, where they’ve got a taste for the finer things.