Research & Data
Types
Featured
Topics
Economy for All 2026: An evening of connection and collective imagination
Community members, advocates, workers, and policy leaders gathered in Durham for the NC Budget & Tax Center’s (BTC) Economy for All 2026 on Jan. 22, an evening grounded in a shared belief that North Carolina’s economy should value each of our humanity and provide real opportunity for everyone. Watch a recording of Economy for All 2026 and see photos from the event here. The night began…
Public Comment: Individual Tax Credit for Qualified Contributions to Scholarship Granting Organizations
December 23, 2025 Submitted via www.regulations.gov Internal Revenue Service 1111 Constitution Avenue NW Washington, D.C., 20224 Re: Docket ID IRS-2025-0466, Request for Comments on Individual Tax Credit for Qualified Contributions to Scholarship Granting Organizations (Notice 2025-70) The NC Budget & Tax Center is a non-profit, non-partisan organization that documents and analyzes fiscal and economic conditions in…
Inflation Reduction Act: A Lost Opportunity to Advance Environmental Justice in NC
No matter what we look like or where we come from, we all need the freedom to drink clean water, breathe safe air, and live in healthy communities. To that end, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022 marked a historic investment to advance a variety of climate and energy goals, including: Accelerating the transition…
2026 State of the State on North Carolina’s Economy
Speaker: Alexandra Forter Sirota, Executive Director, NC Budget & Tax Center Transcript Note: Due to technical issues, the first four paragraphs of this transcript are not in the recording. Download slides from the video Good morning, and thank you all for joining us. Today’s briefing is part of our mission at the NC Budget &…
Welcome our 2026 Better NC Fellowship Cohort!
The North Carolina Budget & Tax Center is excited to announce the 2026 cohort of the Better NC Fellowship! This year, we welcome our largest cohort yet, with fifteen North Carolina leaders representing eight counties across the state. In collaboration with the NC Black Alliance, the NC Budget & Tax Center hosts the Better NC…
5 Things to Know About North Carolina’s Economy as 2026 begins
North Carolinians power our economy through their work every day, in every corner of the state — from growing and harvesting our food, to caring for and educating our children, to researching and developing new medicines and technologies that improve our lives. Their labor powers our economy. Yet, for many families, rising costs are making the…
Ahead of the NC Chamber’s Economic Forecast Forum: 5 Things to Know About North Carolina’s Economy in 2026
As business and policy leaders gather Monday at the NC Chamber and North Carolina Bankers Association’s 24th Annual Economic Forecast Forum to discuss growth and competitiveness, it’s important to ground the conversation in how the economy is actually working for people across the state — and what risks lie ahead. Here are five things to know about…
North Carolina is at the bottom of the rankings for public school funding. It doesn’t have to be that way.
Each year, the Education Law Center publishes its “Making the Grade” report, ranking the 50 states and Washington, D.C. on their funding for public education. Most of us — across race, place, and background — all want to live in a North Carolina where everyone has access to a great public education, teachers make a livable wage, and we can build the foundation for a more secure future. However, December 2025’s “Making the…
Jan. 1: Tax cuts for the rich in NC — still no state budget
The New Year will bring little certainty to everyday North Carolinians. State legislators have failed to use the policy tools available to them to address rising costs for the basics, from food to child-care to housing. Instead of passing a state budget this year, state legislative leaders couldn’t agree to put people first. They are…
