Research Brief
Budget, Taxation & Economy
Budget, Taxation & Economy
At the state legislature, Locke advocates for limiting the expenditure of tax dollars and strictly limiting its tax burdens on families and businesses.
Research Brief
Budget, Taxation & Economy
NC’s “tax the rich” scheme is a bad idea
Some people refuse to learn from their mistakes or the mistakes of others. Several Democrats in the North Carolina General Assembly have introduced a bill that would levy a new,…
Budget, Taxation & Economy
North Carolina should build its own budget simulator
Balancing a state budget is an exercise in tradeoffs. Every dollar allocated to one priority is a dollar unavailable for another. Yet those tradeoffs are often difficult to see, buried…
Budget, Taxation & Economy
Open Letter: North Carolina Should Reclaim the NCInnovation Endowment
This letter was sent to members of the North Carolina Senate on April 30, 2026. Dear Senator, On behalf of the John Locke Foundation, I urge the Senate to support…
Budget, Taxation & Economy
Delaying reappraisals, not tax increases: What Senate Bill 889 would do
A proposal in the North Carolina Senate would temporarily delay recent property reappraisals in 12 counties. While the measure may affect how property values are applied, it would not limit…
Budget, Taxation & Economy
North Carolina’s Medicaid expansion financing gap that no one is talking about
A provision in last year’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” mandates that beginning in 2028, the maximum provider tax rate states are allowed to charge will be reduced from 6…
Budget, Taxation & Economy
Property tax levy limits aren’t budget cuts
A levy limit isn’t a budget cut. It doesn’t force local governments to reduce spending, nor does it require school funding to decrease. Instead, a levy limit caps the growth…
Budget, Taxation & Economy
North Carolina Budget, Tax, and Economic Highlights: 2026
The purpose of the North Carolina Budget, Tax, and Economic Highlights guide is to equip the legislator, as well as the layman, with updated data to better understand state fiscal…
Budget, Taxation & Economy
Is North Carolina addicted to federal funds?
North Carolina has continued to accelerate its dependence on federal funds. From fiscal year (FY) 2024 to FY 2025, federal fund receipts within the state’s General Fund skyrocketed from roughly…
Budget, Taxation & Economy
New revenue projection shows surplus, revenue triggers prompting tax cuts likely to be met
Revenues coming in ahead of expectations, reflecting continued growth courtesy of tax cuts
Budget, Taxation & Economy
How much is too much? An analysis of property tax revenue growth in the state’s most populous counties
As property tax bills have risen rapidly across the state, property tax reform has moved to the forefront at the General Assembly. Among the policy options under consideration are levy…
Budget, Taxation & Economy
Stein announces top spending priorities before the fiscal year ends
Stein has declared the Medicaid shortfall urgent and proposed a “Critical Needs Budget” for FY 2025–26 to address “funding needs that cannot wait until next year.” The proposal primarily focuses…
Budget, Taxation & Economy
North Carolina Medicaid after the OBBB: Policy prescriptions
Recent changes enacted under the One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB) place North Carolina's Medicaid financing model directly at risk. If North Carolina’s Medicaid program is to remain viable over the…