The 2007-2008 General Assembly Session resulted in the passage of a budget, as well as a number of other bills, that increased funding for a number of environmental initiatives ... Keep Reading
pro-life
Education Recap: Spending Increases and Program Expansions Mark Legislative Session
As might be expected, education remained a top priority for lawmakers during the 2007 long session. What is perhaps more surprising is that even as education spending increased by ... Keep Reading
Fee Increases and Tax Changes
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
General Assembly Breaks Budget Rules
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
FY2007-09 Budget Roundup…Higher Taxes, Bigger Government
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
Gambling with a New Plan for the North Carolina Education Lottery
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
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
Ending “Temporary” Sales Taxes Would Grow Economy, Benefit Working Poor More Than EITC
As the House and Senate continue their budget negotiations, reports from the General Assembly indicate that House members are proposing a plan that would entail extending the ... Keep Reading
Medicaid Swap Raises Deed Stamp Tax, Relies on Unstable Revenue Source
A variety of Medicaid “swap” plans have become major sticking points in this year’s budget negotiations between the North Carolina House and Senate. These plans ... Keep Reading
Do We Really Need Another School Bond? Rethinking the Conventional Wisdom
One of the most important − and most expensive − responsibilities of state government is to plan and maintain the capital needs of state agencies. Although specific ... Keep Reading
