Statement from the NC Budget & Tax Center on passage of NC budget
Statement from Alexandra Sirota, Executive Director of the NC Budget & Tax Center
Legislative leaders have prioritized the interests of the wealthy few and out-of-state corporations over the people of North Carolina in their final budget.
We shouldn’t be surprised by the callous and flawed outcome that results from a process that is blocked from public view and left to be guided by special interests, campaign donors, and only the most powerful legislators.
Legislative leaders will give more income tax cuts to the wealthy in a scheme to completely eliminate this source of public funds over time. This year, they tried to give the appearance of responsibility but instead established arbitrary revenue thresholds that fail to consider what people actually need.
Such a scheme will primarily benefit the wealthiest North Carolinians, leave 1 in 5 North Carolinians with no tax cut at all, and leave the entire state with a future need to raise revenue or cut services.
Make no mistake — gambling proposals, sales tax increases, and more harmful regressive fees will all be on the table as legislative leaders push toward the elimination of the income tax.
And all the while life is getting more difficult in our state for families — child-care costs are rising, school transportation is unpredictable, extreme weather is disrupting daily life, and wages aren’t keeping up with the rising cost of housing and other basics.
Rather than face this reality and do what they can with their power and the resources we collectively commit to creating a North Carolina where everyone can thrive, legislative leaders have shielded themselves from public input and squandered the opportunity they have to fund immediate solutions at scale.
In turning away from the people of North Carolina, legislative leaders have made clear their priorities and their unwillingness to serve the people of this state and our best interests.
The state budget is the most important policy decision made each year. It provides a roadmap for how we will collectively fund the opportunities to build a foundation in our communities where everyone has the freedom to thrive.
This roadmap will get us nowhere — it just makes it more clear than ever been before that legislative leaders are navigating uncharted waters with a broken compass.
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