• Research Report

    Better priorities for the budget surplus

    posted May 10, 2006 by Joseph Coletti
    Gov. Mike Easley’s proposed $18.9 billion budget does not provide enough relief to taxpayers who made it possible. The governor could have returned the $1.1 billion in overcollections to taxpayers without jeopardizing future fiscal health. This would include ending the half-cent sales tax and 8.25 percent income tax rate set to expire in 2007, and providing a temporary quarter-cent sales tax refund. Removing the county burden for Medicaid would also ease the fiscal pressure local governments face to raise taxes to pay for schools and roads.
  • Press Release

    Easley Spending Plan Follows Revenues Up

    posted May 8, 2006
    Gov. Mike Easley’s proposed state budget takes advantage of a $2 billion surplus to increase spending by $1.6 billion, according to a preliminary analysis by the John Locke Foundation.
  • Press Release

    Switch gears on transit funding

    posted May 3, 2006
    It’s time for the state to put the brakes on funding for public transit systems across North Carolina. That’s a major recommendation in a new Policy Report prepared for…
  • Research Report

    Policy versus Performance: Directions for North Carolina’s Largest Transit Systems

    posted May 3, 2006 by Dr. David Hartgen
    North Carolina’s largest public transit systems are often credited with reduced traffic congestion and air pollution, efficient land use, reduced dependence on oil, and much-needed mobility for some residents. Are they fulfilling these missions? How are they performing? Who do they benefit? What do they cost?

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