Here’s what the NC Budget & Tax Center was up to in September

We adore the fall here at the Budget & Tax Center, and we love seeing the leaves change colors all over the state! (In fact, that’s why this email is a bit later than normal – your friendly Comms Manager took last week off to do some leaf peeping, apple picking, and other fun fall stuff with family.)

Here’s what the NC Budget & Tax Center was up to last month.

NC Budget Report released; register for our next partner meeting 

At this month’s partner conversation, we shared our new report on the state budget and discussed the ways it falls short of addressing the impacts of inflation. We also heard from participants how they might incorporate the findings in their work and how BTC can continue to create materials to support those efforts. You can watch and share the recording here.

Be sure to join us  for our next conversation on Oct. 26th at noon when we’ll discuss what the latest data shows us about the impact of federal aid on poverty and highlight state policies that can ensure more people and communities are thriving in North Carolina.

• Budget Report Executive Summary
• Budget Report: Missing the mark for North Carolina: 2022-23 state budget fails to address the many effects of inflation

Federal COVID-19 aid averted financial disaster for many  families 

New data released last month from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey and American Community Survey (ACS) show that federal and state investments shielded many North Carolina families from severe hardship during COVID-19 and helped shorten the country’s economic crisis. The task now is for policy makers at the state and federal apply that lesson to how we rebuild from this experience. Read more

NC workers feel the pinch of inflation as corporations rake in record profits

Working people are facing rising costs for basics like food, gas, and housing, and their wages are not keeping up. Meanwhile, corporate profits are rising.

Profitable corporations are benefiting from rising prices even as inflation is making it harder for workers to afford the basics. Analysis by the Economic Policy Institute found that “for every dollar in price increases, 54 cents went toward corporate profits, while just 8 cents went to increased wages.” Read more

• Related: Taxes on rich people helped to beat inflation (and Hitler)
• Related: New NC labor market data: It’s been a really good week for economic news

BTC continues to partner in advocating for equitable ARP funding decisions 

BTC’s work to support local advocates in engaging their local governments for equitable American Rescue Plan policies through community-inclusive policies continues! On Sept. 13, BTC and three statewide partner organizations came together with seven community-based organizations who are funded through a partnership collaborative to advance equitable American Rescue Plan policies through community-inclusive processes. Through shared trusting relationships, this mutual learning network will continue to learn from and with each other to advance advocacy campaigns to achieve equitable policies in communities across North Carolina.

In addition, BTC is excited to join the Community Food Strategies (CFS) team to support the work to build an equitable, community-driven food system that improves the quality of life for all people. BTC's work with CFS in the near term includes co-leading the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Advocacy Academy, a program developed to provide support and coaching to food council to do advocacy around local government ARP spending decisions.

Watch a recording of Mental Health Worker Speak-Out Forum 

BTC was invited to speak at the Mental Health Worker Speak-Out Forum hosted by NC Public Service Workers Union, UE Local 150 in Goldsboro. Mental health workers from the NC Department of Health and Human Services State Operated Healthcare Facilities spoke about the need for safe staffing and wages that can support families, and BTC spoke briefly about the availability of state funds to meet this urgent and growing need. The event was hybrid and a recording of the Zoom event can be found here .

What we've been reading and watching

• Boosting Incomes and Improving Tax Equity with State Earned Income Tax Credits in 2022
• Census Data Shows Need to Make 2021 Child Tax Credit Expansion Permanent
• Do you earn a living wage? Here’s how much you’d have to make in Triangle counties
• Food Insecurity for Families With Children Reached Two-Decade Low in 2021
• Tying minimum-wage increases to inflation, as 13 states do, will lift up low-wage workers and their families across the country
• Biden administration finalizes end of Trump-era ‘public charge’ rule
• In Pandemic’s Second Year, Government Policies Helped Drive Child Poverty Rate to a Record Low, Cut Uninsured Rate, New Census Data Show
• The 2021 Census report highlights how government relief measures played a vital role in reducing poverty
• Local Starbucks becomes second store in state granted unionization
• The teacher pay penalty has hit a new high
• SNAP Benefit Adjustments Will Help Low-Income Households Cope With Food Inflation
• North Carolina is the 52nd best state in the US to work (inc. PR and DC)
• Early Childhood Teachers Speak Out for Health Care

ICYMI: Here’s what the NC Budget & Tax Center was up to in August.

How to contact us

We've put the contact information for each of our team members on our website at NCBudget.org/our-team/, or you can always email us at [email protected] if you're not sure who to talk to.