Spending & Taxes

The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) operates 11 coal-fired power plants in the southeastern United States. These plants emit nitrogen oxides (NOx) and sulfur dioxide (SO2), which contribute to particulate matter (PM) and ozone in the eastern U.S., including North Carolina.

Tax increment financing (TIF) is a type of public-debt financing that is supposed to promote private economic development in designated districts through the development of public improvement projects.

Gov. Easley proposed $21.4 billion in state appropriations for continuing operations in fiscal year 2009, up $1 billion (4.9 percent) from the final budget for fiscal year 2008. Combined pay increases, including one-time bonuses, for teachers and state employees total $594 million. Less than a fifth of the $400 million in spending reductions are much more than reclaiming money that would not otherwise be spent.

Low-cost energy is not only critical to the economy, but also to our health, safety, and general welfare. Despite concerns over energy prices, policymakers are intentionally increasing energy prices through new taxes and regulations.

The Beacon Hill Institute at Suffolk University in Boston, Mass., reviews policies under consideration in North Carolina to cut carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Supporters contend those policies would help North Carolina respond to climate change. Supporters also contend the policies would produce positive economic benefits. This report rebuts the advocates’ economic arguments. Beacon Hill Institute researchers find “serious methodological flaws” in the documents used to justify the climate change policies.

The Greene County commissioners are asking voters to approve a sales-tax increase on May 6. This report identifies $3.3 million in revenue and savings the county could use to meet its needs and more than 19 times the amount than the proposed tax increase would produce.

The Hertford County commissioners are asking voters to approve a sales-tax increase on May 6. This report identifies nearly $6.2 million in revenue and savings the county could use to meet its needs — more than 11 times the amount that the proposed tax increase would produce.

The Rockingham County commissioners are asking voters to approve a sales-tax increase on May 6. This report identifies nearly $28 million in revenue and savings the county could use to meet its needs — more than 16 times the amount that the proposed tax increase would produce.

The Tyrrell County commissioners are asking county residents to triple the land-transfer tax rate on May 6 (from 0.2 to 0.6 percent). This report identifies nearly $2.3 million in revenue and savings the county could use to meet its needs — more than four times the amount that the proposed tax increase would produce.

The Wilkes County commissioners are asking voters to approve a sales-tax increase on May 6. This report identifies over $16.7 million in revenue and savings the county could use to meet its needs — more than 11 times the amount that the proposed tax increase would produce.