Spotlight Report

Don’t Bet On It: A State Lottery Would Not Be an Alternative to Taxes

posted on in Spending & Taxes

Supporters of a proposed government lottery argue that it would be a welcome alternative to raising state taxes to fund education. But there is no evidence to suggest that politicians in lottery states use the proceeds to reduce other taxes. They just allow state budgets to grow. Also, properly understood, a state-run lottery does increase taxes — it creates a government gambling monopoly and then levies a steep tax on it.

John Hood is president of the John William Pope Foundation, a Raleigh-based grantmaker that supports public policy organizations, educational institutions, arts and cultural programs, and humanitarian relief in North Carolina and beyond. Hood is also chairman of the board at… ...

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We are North Carolina’s Most Trusted and Influential Source of Common Sense. The John Locke Foundation was created in 1990 as an independent, nonprofit think tank that would work “for truth, for freedom, and for the future of North Carolina.” The Foundation is named for John Locke (1632-1704), an English philosopher whose writings inspired Thomas Jefferson and the other Founders.

The John Locke Foundation is a 501(c)(3) research institute and is funded solely from voluntary contributions from individuals, corporations, and charitable foundations.