• John Locke Update

    Should Local Governments Get to Choose their Voters?

    posted October 21, 2019 by Joseph Coletti
    November may be the best time to buy a major kitchen appliance, but counties know it is the worst time to ask voters to raise taxes, especially when there…
  • John Locke Update

    Sales Tax Referenda: Coming to a Ballot Near You

    posted March 28, 2018 by Julie Tisdale
    With six weeks to go until the May primaries, voters in at least a dozen North Carolina counties should start considering whether they should vote for or against proposed…
  • John Locke Update

    Twelve Counties Ask Voters to Approve Higher Taxes

    posted March 22, 2018 by Julie Tisdale
    At last count, 12 North Carolina counties will include an increase in the local sales tax on their May ballots.  In all 12 of those counties, it’s a bad idea. …
  • Research Report

    Economic Incentives: County By County

    posted July 8, 2015 by Sarah Curry
    Between FY 2009 and FY 2014, 81 out of North Carolina’s 100 counties participated in economic development activities. Counties entered into 776 contracts worth nearly $284 million in incentives over the five-year period. Actual payments, however, totaled $144 million.
  • Research Report

    By The Numbers: What Government Costs in North Carolina Cities and Counties FY 2012

    posted June 22, 2014 by Michael Lowrey
    The economic recession that hit full force in 2008 was declared officially over in June 2009 when the country experienced two quarters of very slow growth. But a troubled housing sector and a still-sluggish economy with high unemployment have contributed to the fiscal crises facing many cities and counties in North Carolina. As always, this edition of By the Numbers is must reading for government officials and taxpayers alike. It highlights what kinds of fiscal problems face local governments in an economy that grows only very slowly. With the facts given here, county commissioners and city council members can easily compare their area’s tax burden to similarly situated cities or counties. For taxpayers, BTN is a starting point for questions about taxes and spending, enabling them to hold their elected and appointed officials accountable.
  • Research Report

    By The Numbers: What Government Costs in North Carolina Cities and Counties FY 2008

    posted March 28, 2010 by Michael Lowrey
    County and municipal governments provide many key services while taking in billions of dollars in revenue. Their roles grow as state government keeps more local funding sources and shifts more taxing power to localities. Still, finding comparative data is difficult. This report helps address that problem by providing information of how much local government costs in every city and county in North Carolina.

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