Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP)

North Carolina

McClatchy-Tribune: States expand sales tax holidays beyond back-to-school items

July 22, 2013

  Many states with back-to-school sales tax “holidays” are expanding them to cover almost any purchase, in addition to the usual kids’ clothing, shoes, books and school supplies. As schools and students replace ink and paper with pixels, some states are expanding their holidays to cover sales taxes on low-cost computers and tablets. These electronics […]

The Progressive Pulse: Facts matter about the tax “reform” debate

July 22, 2013

(Original Post) Post on July 19, 2013 by Jeff Shaw5 Comments » When making important decisions, people have a right to the best possible information. Facts, not ideology, should drive our policy agendas. This is especially true on budget and tax issues, which affect everyone in North Carolina. Unfortunately, John Hood’s recent column on the […]

Think Progress: North Carolina Lawmakers Ram Through Plan That Would Increase Taxes On Poor People

July 18, 2013

(Original Post) By Igor Volsky on Jul 16, 2013 at 12:45 pm Gov. Pat McCrory (R-NC) (Credit: Takaaki Iwabu/The News & Observer) North Carolina lawmakers rammed through massive tax reforms on Tuesday that would disproportionately benefit higher-income earners, bringing the measure to a vote in the House after approximately 25 minutes of debate. The legislative […]

The latest Senate tax plan continues to provide large tax cuts to the wealthiest taxpayers and profitable corporations, while shifting more of the overall tax load to middle-class families and reducing revenue for schools, health care and other services by nearly $1 billion each year when fully implemented. While Senators say the new scheme addresses […]

Off the Charts: Getting the Whole Story in State Tax Debates

July 10, 2013

(Original Post) July 8, 2013 at 9:02 am Posted by: Nicholas Johnson This year’s state tax debates have revealed a very important flaw in how states typically make tax policy.  Fortunately, it’s a flaw that can be fixed. In most states, policymakers lack sufficient information on how tax changes will affect the after-tax distribution of […]

Stateline: States Expand Sales Tax Holidays Beyond Back-to-School Items

July 10, 2013

(Original Post)   By Elaine S. Povich, Staff Writer A crowd of about 100 line up outside of the Apple Store in the Saddle Creek shopping center in Germantown, Tenn., to get a head start on last year’s tax free weekend. (AP) Many states with back-to-school sales tax “holidays” are expanding them to cover almost […]

The Philadelphia Inquirer: N.J. highways cost most, study says

July 8, 2013

(Original Post) By Paul Nussbaum, Inquirer Staff Writer POSTED: July 05, 2013 New Jersey’s roads may not be paved with gold, but they certainly are expensive. The state ranks highest in the nation in the cost of maintaining its roads, spending almost twice as much per mile as the number-two state, California, according to a […]

MSN Money: 8 states where the gas tax just went up

July 3, 2013

(Original Post) From Connecticut to Wyoming, lawmakers are turning to these hikes to fund long overdue road and infrastructure projects. By Bruce Kennedy It’s the summer driving season, and while gas prices traditionally rise this time of year, they’ve been falling of late. But July 1 was the start of a new fiscal year for […]

CNN Money: Just in Time for the Holiday, 8 States Raise Gas Taxes

July 2, 2013

(Original Post) POSTED BY RYAN HOLEYWELL | JULY 1, 2013 Drivers hitting the road for the Independence Day holiday will encounter higher gas taxes in eight states, according to data compiled by Citizens For Tax Justice. While the changes could frustrate drivers — if they notice the slight hikes — there’s a silver lining: many […]

Triangle Business Journal: N.C. gas tax rises to 37.6 cents a gallon

July 1, 2013

(Original Post)  Jul 1, 2013, 3:57pm EDT Logistics & Transportation Chris Bagley Staff Writer- Triangle Business Journal North Carolina increased its motor fuels tax to its second-highest level in history on Monday. The increase was small, just one-tenth of a cent per gallon, but the 37.6-cents-per-gallon level is second only to the 38.9 cents per […]

News & Observer: NC tax reform will have major implications for next generation

June 24, 2013

By Christopher Gergen and Stephen Martin There are times when stark choices about the future of our state arise – and we seem to be at one of these crossroads now. The debate is trapped in the wonky world of tax reform. But the implications of this debate are very real and worth paying attention […]

Both the Senate and House tax plans would give huge tax cuts to the wealthy and profitable businesses while failing to address the state’s flawed tax system, which requires low- and moderate-income taxpayers to pay a larger share of their income in state and local taxes than wealthy taxpayers.The current tax system’s Earned Income Tax […]

Associated Press: States look to tax hybrid and electric car owners to recoup road funding

June 18, 2013

(Original Post) Published June 09, 2013Associated Press RALEIGH, N.C. –  North Carolina is joining a growing number of states exploring new fees for hybrid and electric car owners to help make up for revenue those drivers aren’t paying in gas taxes on their fuel-efficient vehicles. The proposal strikes many owners of alternative-fuel vehicles and some […]

80 percent of taxpayers would see slightly higher taxes under the first comprehensive tax legislation introduced this legislative session, while the top 1 percent of earners would get a tax cut.    The proposal threatens to erode resources for schools, health care and other services North Carolina needs to be economically competitive.    The proposal (Senate Bill […]

As policymakers consider changes to the state’s tax code, it is critical to maintain proven policy tools that reverse the upside-down nature of the system. The state EITC provides workers earning low wages with a credit to offset their total state and local tax contributions. The state EITC continues to be a critical support for […]

The State Earned Income Tax Credit is the best way to make sure that low-income North Carolinians are not paying more than their fair share of taxes, while also helping low-income families stay out of poverty and create a better future for their children. Unless lawmakers reverse course, close to one million working families in […]

In the current debate over tax reform, legislative leaders frequently hold up Tennessee as a role model for improving North Carolina’s economic competitiveness and ensuring future prosperity. But a look beneath the surface reveals that the Volunteer State has the wrong kind of economy to emulate—Tennessee models a pathway to poverty, not a pathway to […]

House Bill 998 proposes to cut tax rates with the goal of shifting to a consumption-based tax system. The legislation will result in a tax shift away from wealthy taxpayers and profitable corporations and towards middle- and low-income taxpayers while taking in less money for critical public services. Read the Full Report

North Carolina’s House leadership has thrown its hat into the tax shift ring with a plan that would increase the tax load on middle- and low income tax-payers while providing the wealthy and profitable corporations a tax cut. The House plan would convert North Carolina’s personal income tax to a flat rate, while making North […]

Policymakers need accurate information in order to make informed policy choices.  And the general public, too, should know what is at stake when their elected officials propose tax changes.  That is why it’s so important to have data on how the proposed tax changes in North Carolina will impact actual taxpayers in the state. The […]

RALEIGH (June 7, 2013) — The House today gave tentative approval to a tax plan that will shift the tax load to low- and middle-income taxpayers, give the wealthiest taxpayers a tax cut and put our public investments at risk. During today’s floor debate of HB 998, the House tax reform bill, there seemed to […]

The tax plan under consideration by the North Carolina House of Representatives would create a single income tax rate – known as a flat tax – that will shift taxes from the wealthy onto others. Proponents claim that doing away with the three rates North Carolina currently has, which rise along with income, is fair […]

New Senate Tax Plan risks North Carolina’s long-term growth to give tax cuts to the wealthy and profitable corporations THIS WEEK THE SENATE INTRODUCED ANOTHER TAX PROPOSAL. The new proposal, like all the others, is about massive tax cuts for the wealthy and profitable corporations, not tax reform. The Senate plan would cost more than […]

The Progressive Pulse: 90% of benefits from Corporate Income Tax repeal to go out of state

June 13, 2013

(Original Post) Post on June 12, 2013 by Allan Freyer One of the most eye-popping parts of the Senate tax reform plan is the proposed elimination of the state’s Corporate Income Tax, for a cost of $1 billion in foregone revenue each year.  Although Senate leaders have expressed high hopes for the economic benefits of […]

Bloomberg Businessweek: Electric-Car Owners Get Taxed for Not Paying Gas Taxes

June 10, 2013

(Original Post) By Alison VekshinJune 06, 2013 Hugh Joyce, a contractor in Richmond, Va., owns three plug-in cars, and like many green-car evangelists, he’s unabashed about his love for them—especially his new $80,000 Tesla (TSLA) Model S. It’s “the most important vehicle since the Model T,” he says. “It’s the first electric car with a […]