House and Senate Democrats are poised today to give final approval to a nearly $1 billon tax hike on North Carolinians. From the News & Observer comes this statement from one of the most powerful Democrats on Jones Street, Sen. Tony Rand: (emphasis is mine)
Under the proposal, all residents would pay an extra penny per dollar in sales tax, and wealthier residents would have a surcharge tacked on their income tax payments. The state would levy sales tax on digital products such as music and ringtones, and smokers and drinkers would pay more for their vices. Democrats said the tax increases were the only way to avoid painful cuts, particularly to education and social services.
Think about the things we would have had to do if we did not have the additional revenue,” said Sen. Tony Rand, a Fayetteville Democrat and the Senate majority leader. “These things are wrenching in their application and what they do to a society.”
Compare Sen. Rand’s comment to what he said in December: (emphasis is mine)
At a budget discussion at Fayetteville Technical Community College Monday, the Senate majority leader said that state leaders will need to be more prudent given the current financial crisis, according to the Fayetteville Observer.
We’ve thrown money away in the past,” he said. “Now, we’re going to make sure we can justify every penny we spend.”
Exactly how much was wasted, and on what senator?
Keep these comments in mind as you and your family cut back on your budget and lifestyle and watch even more of your hard-earned money diverted to a government operation that is addicted to spending and borrowing in good times and bad.
Saddest part of it all? It didn’t have to be this way.
