Fiscal Policy

The following article appeared in the Sunday September 16, 2007, edition of the Fayetteville Observer newspaper. Can state bureaucrats plan and grow the economy better than the ... Keep Reading

Originally appeared in the Raleigh News & Observer, Sept 14, 2007. North Carolinians who are still convinced that targeted incentives like those approved for Goodyear and ... Keep Reading

The Department of Health & Human Services (DHHS) budget was $4.6 billion for FY2008 and $5.1 billion for FY2009. The DHHS budget thus increased by some $400 million over the ... Keep Reading

The Civitas Institute has identified $205.4 million in new “pork barrel” spending in the FY2007-2009 expansion budget. In addition, the budget contains $155 million in ... Keep Reading

One of the main sticking points during this year’s contentious and drawn out budget process was the debate over whether the “temporary” sales and income tax rates ... Keep Reading

This article was originailly published in the Fayetteville Observer, August 2007 We are often treated to editorials about "desperately needed" programs like ... Keep Reading

The General Assembly violated its own rules more than 100 times when it passed the budget last week. At the eleventh hour, legislators added new pork projects that had not been ... Keep Reading

Thanks to the new state budget just passed by the General Assembly and signed by Governor Mike Easley (D), North Carolinians must brace themselves for another significant tax ... Keep Reading

Revenue from the North Carolina Education Lottery has fallen short of initial estimates, with the inevitable result that the Legislature has had to provide public tax dollars to ... Keep Reading

Transfer Tax, "Temporary" Sales Tax Hit Poor the Hardest As part of the “Medicaid Swap” plan the budget conference committee is reportedly considering, the ... Keep Reading