Mel Umbarger
Posts by Mel Umbarger
Statement on passage of Senate Bill 1080 from Alexandra Sirota, Executive Director of the NC Budget & Tax Center
Senate leaders are moving quickly to ram through a bad budget deal for North Carolina, including an income tax cap that would constrain the primary source of revenue for the state’s General Fund and limit one of the taxes most aligned with people’s ability to pay. In debate, Senate proponents play down the fiscal problems…
Senate Bill 943: Kids Over Corporations Act
Raises the state corporate income tax rate to 5% Link to SB 943, filed April 29, 2026 Download a PDF of this brief SB 943 Summary: This bill would stop the scheduled elimination of the corporate income tax and instead set the corporate income tax rate at 5 percent, beginning in Tax Year 2026. Stops…
10 reasons NC’s income tax cap amendment is a bad deal for the state’s future
As lawmakers move quickly to advance a constitutional amendment that would cap North Carolina’s income tax rate at 3.5%, North Carolinians should look beyond the political framing of “tax relief” and ask a bigger question: What would this amendment mean for North Carolina’s long-term economic future? The proposed amendment is part of a broader, bad-deal…
The People’s Hearing: Funding the Public Schools Every Child Deserves
6:30 pm on Monday, June 1 Join us for a timely briefing from the NC Budget & Tax Center on the current tax policy threats to public K-12 funding – including scheduled state income tax cuts and proposed property tax limits – followed by testimonies from people across the state who are living with the…
Statement on budget deal from Alexandra Sirota, Executive Director of the NC Budget & Tax Center
North Carolinians need leaders who understand the real pressures families and communities are facing and who are willing to adapt when the facts demand it. Instead, this budget deal, hatched behind closed doors, reflects an increasingly rigid ideology and a pattern of intentional neglect — underfunding public needs, giving tax breaks to the wealthy while…
Statement on property tax amendment from Alexandra Sirota, Executive Director, NC Budget & Tax Center
Today, the NC General Assembly House Finance Committee voted to advance House Bill 1089, a constitutional amendment ballot measure that would limit the ability of local governments to raise property tax revenue. Across-the-board limits like this do not target relief to the people who need it most. Instead, they often provide the greatest benefit to…
Brains & Brews: Greensboro trivia night
Wednesday, June 10, 2026 @ 7:00 PM SouthEnd Brewing, 117 B W Lewis St, Greensboro, NC 27406 Put your knowledge to the test — and raise a glass for a North Carolina where everyone can thrive. Join the NC Budget & Tax Center for Brains & Brews, a lively trivia night bringing together advocates, partners, community…
