sales tax

After we posted a summary last week on sales tax referenda in four counties (Chatham, Forsyth, Madison, and Wayne), a citizen in Alamance County alerted us that a sales…

Another election, another opportunity for counties to ask voters to raise the sales tax. Only two of 25 tax votes have passed when held in conjunction with presidential primaries, with…

As the 2020 election season gathers momentum, North Carolina’s tax reforms and demands for higher spending on any number of government programs will be front and center. One example is a…

The state budget battle has entered extra innings. Gov. Cooper signed and vetoed another batch of mini budgets, the ninth round of budget-related legislation since his first budget veto on…

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…

In this research update, I take a closer look at revenues and expenditures in North Carolina over the past 20 years. I use actual collections and expenditures from the…

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…

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…

Buncombe County’s financial troubles will not end with the January 16th plea hearing of former county manager Wanda Greene in federal court or payment of her $750,000 settlement with the…

Rob Christensen, the venerable political reporter for the News & Observer, offers a future vision of North Carolina as Illinois, with out-of-control spending leading to failing government and bad credit.