Click here to view and here to listen to Michael Lowrey discussing this report. RALEIGH — Local taxes and fees in Wilmington topped $2,165 per person in the 2011 budget year, according to a new John Locke Foundation report. That total placed Wilmington at No. 4 in a ranking of the state’s larger cities, down...
Click here to view and here to listen to Michael Lowrey discussing this report. RALEIGH — Local taxes and fees in Rocky Mount totaled about $1,571 per person in the 2011 budget year. The city ranked No. 25 out of North Carolina’s 34 largest ranked cities in local government costs per person, according to a...
Click here to view and here to listen to Sarah Curry discussing this Spotlight report. RALEIGH — North Carolina legislators could save nearly $500 million in the next budget year, and more than $1 billion over two years, while ending corporate income and inheritance taxes and replacing the personal income tax with a consumed-income USA...
Click here to view and here to listen to Sarah Curry discussing this Spotlight report. RALEIGH — Bypassing statewide bond referendums has cost North Carolina taxpayers an estimated $261 million in extra interest payments on state debt since 2005. That’s a key finding in a new John Locke Foundation Spotlight report. “North Carolina voters have...
Click here to view and here to listen to Dr. Terry Stoops discussing this Spotlight report. RALEIGH — New public school standards dubbed the Common Core are generating questions for parents and taxpayers across the nation, including North Carolina. A new John Locke Foundation Spotlight report aims to answer many of those questions. “Unfortunately, readily...
RALEIGH — A revamped North Carolina transportation program should include merit-based project selection, an increased emphasis on road maintenance, and a funding solution for Interstate 95. Those are among the 20 immediate recommendations set out in a new Policy Report prepared for the John Locke Foundation. The report’s authors note their recommendations would require no...
Click here to view and here to listen to Dr. Roy Cordato discussing this economic analysis. RALEIGH — A recent report “claims a great deal, but offers nothing of substance” as it touts thousands of new jobs and other economic benefits linked to North Carolina taxpayers’ subsidies for renewable energy. That’s the bottom-line conclusion in...
Click here to view and here to listen to Jon Sanders discussing this Spotlight report. RALEIGH — North Carolina should repeal its six-year-old renewable-energy mandate. It has raised electricity prices for consumers while failing to meet its original goals. That’s the key conclusion in a new John Locke Foundation Spotlight report, which also questions new...
RALEIGH — North Carolina’s auto insurance system imposes a special tax on all drivers that helps subsidize rates for high-risk drivers. That tax is part of a system designed to guarantee profits for insurers. Those are just two of the key facts highlighted in a new John Locke Foundation Spotlight report. Highlighting seven facts about...
RALEIGH — Gov. Pat McCrory recommends no tax increase in his first budget plan, a stark contrast to the most recent proposals from predecessor Beverly Perdue. That’s one of the key points the John Locke Foundation’s top budget analyst notes in her initial review of McCrory’s budget numbers. “After two years of budget fights between...
Click here to view and here to listen to Jon Sanders discussing this Policy Report. RALEIGH — Elected, accountable lawmakers should rein in the power of unelected state government bureaucrats by taking a more active role in approving or rejecting North Carolina’s major rules. That’s the key recommendation in a new John Locke Foundation Policy...
Click here to view and here to listen to Dr. Terry Stoops discussing this Spotlight report. RALEIGH — A voucher program is likely to offer North Carolina the most transparent, easy-to-understand school choice option the state could consider this year. A new John Locke Foundation Spotlight report offers that assessment. Vouchers also require no tax...