• John Locke Update

    Mecklenburg Sales Tax: The Art of the Steal

    posted July 2, 2019 by Joseph Coletti
    You have to admire the audacity of Robert Bush and the Arts and Science Council (ASC) for their campaign to increase the sales tax in Mecklenburg County by a…
  • John Locke Update

    Budget 2019: A Consensus-Based Approach

    posted June 12, 2019 by Joseph Coletti
    Now that the House has officially rejected the Senate’s budget bill, the two chambers soon will begin conference negotiations to set a final budget that likely will be subject to a…
  • John Locke Update

    Sometimes Market Efficiency is the Wrong Standard

    posted June 10, 2019 by Joseph Coletti
    Former Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal provides a picture of the true costs of what Progressives and Democratic Socialists call “free.” He notes that many people have never seen a…
  • John Locke Update

    Trust, Government, and the Primacy of Traditional Institutions

    posted May 30, 2019 by Joseph Coletti
    As the North Carolina Constitution states, “A frequent recurrence to fundamental principles is absolutely necessary to preserve the blessings of liberty.” It is important though not to let the smell…
  • John Locke Update

    Budget 2019: Save It, Don’t Spend It

    posted May 22, 2019 by Joseph Coletti
    Tax reform left a number of people receiving smaller refunds (or writing larger checks) this April because many taxpayers inadvertently had too little withheld from their paychecks. On the other…
  • John Locke Update

    Should Lawmakers Grant Local Option Sales Tax Flexibility?

    posted May 14, 2019 by Joseph Coletti
    In 2011, Buncombe County commissioners and the president of the Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College promised voters that, if passed, a quarter-cent tax increase on the ballot that year would pay…
  • John Locke Update

    Budget 2019: Spotlight on the House Budget

    posted May 13, 2019 by Joseph Coletti
    A $700 million accounting change made the North Carolina House’s $23.9 General Fund budget difficult to compare with past budgets and with Gov. Roy Cooper’s spending proposal. The budget bill…
  • John Locke Update

    Budget 2019: N.C. House Unveils its Spending Plan

    posted May 2, 2019 by Joseph Coletti
    The North Carolina budget remains a work in progress even as the State House votes this week to approve its version and send it to their colleagues in the State…
  • John Locke Update

    N.C. Budget Processes Inspire Federal Reform Recommendations

    posted April 29, 2019 by Joseph Coletti
    Policymakers around the country look to North Carolina’s fiscal example to guide their quests for lower taxes. Restrained spending has made it possible for state government to tax less and…