Archives: Sarah Curry

View in your browser. If you have been keeping up with the recent news coming out of the General Assembly, you know tax reform is…

View in your browser. Last week China’s Shuanghui International agreed to purchase the world’s largest pork producer, Smithfield Foods, for $4.7 billion and…

View in your browser. The Civil War claimed more American lives than any conflict in U.S. history, requiring the first establishment of national cemeteries.  It was…

North Carolina excise taxes generated $2.4 billion in revenue in FY2011, amounting to 13 percent of total tax revenue collected. They are used to manipulate choices freely made by taxpayers.

View in your browser. The long awaited Senate budget is here, along with all the debate that normally accompanies a budget.  This year, the Senate…

View in your browser. Is home ownership good for the community and society as a whole?  There are many varied opinions on this and the…

View in your browser. A few weekends ago, I decided it was time to paint our living room.  It made me start thinking about home ownership…

View in your browser. This past weekend I had the opportunity to attend a conference of the National Association of State Budget Officers (NASBO).  Many…

View in your browser. Do you hate buying a glass of wine and having to pay a tax over and above what you would pay…

For the last 30 years North Carolina has seen spending grow three times faster than population and inflation. The bottom-line spending figure for JLF’s 2013-14 General Fund budget plan is $20.1 billion, $490 million less than the governor’s proposal. In the second year of the two-year budget plan, JLF’s proposal would spend $560 million less than McCrory’s plan. This budget offers 19 specific policy recommendations in K-12 education, early childhood programs, public safety, Medicaid, transportation, and state employee benefits.