The N.C. House budget proposal for FY 2015-16 would introduce more than $1 billion in new budgeted spending year-over-year and include tens in millions in targeted tax breaks doled out to special interests while being stuffed with pork barrel spending. The increase of more than 5 percent outpaces measures of population plus inflation growth.
The lineup of crony carve-outs and pork spending is extensive and was listed at the Civitas Institute’s blog on Monday. Some of the more egregious items include:
- $200K for a youth baseball tournament in House Speaker Tim Moore’s district
- $5 million expansion in funds for the NC Biotech Center
- $50K for a museum dedicated to the history of the town of Stanley, located in Rep. John Torbett’s district
- $300K increase in funds for grassroots science museums
- $2.5 million expansion of funds for The Support Center (formerly The Minority Support Center, a partner in the organizing group for Moral Monday protests)
- $60 million per year for film production taxpayer handouts
- $3 million per year for data center tax breaks
- $8 million for historic preservation tax credits
Indeed, no fewer than five items identified in Civitas’ Waste of the Week series receive funding in the House budget, and most of them actually receive an increase of taxpayer dollars.
Civitas Action considers the current House budget proposal to NOT reflect sound, fiscally conservative policy, and finds the pork spending and targeted tax credits to special interests to be poor management of taxpayer dollars.
Civitas Action intends to grade a vote in support of House Bill 79 – the House budget proposal in its current or any similar form – as a negative vote in its 2015 Civitas Action Conservative Effectiveness Ranking.
NOTE: An earlier version of this e-mail incorrectly identified the home district of the museum in Stanley
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