posted May 27, 2008 by Joseph Coletti, Daren Bakst
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.
This report on sustainable growth is the third in a series of annual research papers from the John Locke Foundation devoted to explaining the principles of free markets and applying them to current controversies in North Carolina.
posted April 20, 2008 by Dr. Terry Stoops, Joseph Coletti, Dr. Michael Sanera
The Guilford County commissioners are asking voters to approve a sales-tax increase on May 6. This report identifies nearly $83.4 million in revenue and savings the county could use to meet its needs — over five times the amount that the proposed tax increase would produce.
posted April 13, 2008 by Dr. Terry Stoops, Joseph Coletti, Dr. Michael Sanera
The Ashe 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 $9.4 million in revenue and savings the county could use to meet its needs — nearly 10 times the amount that the proposed tax increase would produce.
posted April 13, 2008 by Dr. Terry Stoops, Joseph Coletti, Dr. Michael Sanera
The Wayne County commissioners are asking voters to approve a sales-tax increase on May 6. This report identifies $39.1 million in revenue and savings the county could use to meet its needs — almost 15 times the amount that the proposed tax increase would produce.
As one of the oldest forms of school choice in the United States, education tax credits empower low- and middle-income parents to choose schools that best meet their children’s needs. Cost-effective, constitutional, and consistent with federal and state tax policy, tax credits enjoy bipartisan support among education reformers and parents; in fact, the number of states with education tax credits has tripled over the past 10 years. Tax credits create a vibrant education marketplace by making private schooling affordable for low- and middle-income families seeking a fresh start for their children.
Last year’s 5.24 percent dropout rate was a four-percent increase from the 2005-06 school year and was the highest rate in seven years. Only 70.3 percent of students in North Carolina graduate in five years. Over the last ten years, the North Carolina General Assembly has repeatedly tried to address the troubling dropout problem with no apparent success. The latest initiative, dropout prevention grants, will likely have little short-term or long-term effect on the dropout rate.
County and municipal governments provide many key services while taking in billions of dollars in revenue. Their roles grow ever greater as state government shifts more taxing power to localities to make up for money kept by the state. Still, finding comparative data is hard. That's why this report provides information of how much local government costs in every city and county in North Carolina.
When adjusted for pension contributions, teacher experience, and cost of living, North Carolina’s adjusted teacher compensation is $55,731, which is $5,401 higher than the U.S. adjusted average compensation and $4,811 higher than the U.S. adjusted median.
The UNC system has initiated few efforts to strengthen teacher-education programs.
UNC universities should use their power as charter-school authorizers to create on-site demonstration or laboratory charter schools to improve teacher-education programs.
