RALEIGH — With pivotal legislative elections just weeks away, likely voters in North Carolina are critical of recent actions by Gov. Mike Easley and the General Assembly on taxes, local reimbursements, and other issues, according to a public opinion poll released Oct. 17 by the John Locke Foundation. The survey found that 51 percent of...
RALEIGH — Gov. Mike Easley and the state legislature have approved a revised budget for the current fiscal year that will likely result in hundreds of millions of dollars in new taxes on North Carolina businesses and families, further damaging an already weakened state economy, according to a preliminary analysis by the John Locke Foundation....
RALEIGH — Two new studies from the North Carolina Education Alliance shed light on the state’s national ranking in teacher compensation and differences among state school districts in student performance. Both written by Sherri Joyner, a policy analyst with the NCEA, the reports are intended to provide “valuable and helpful information to North Carolina lawmakers,...
RALEIGH — Delays may have put North Carolina lawmakers in the unfamiliar position of facing primary challengers in the midst of a legislative session, but candidates’ attempts to use support for a state lottery and a local-option sales tax increase to defeat primary opponents largely failed, according to a preliminary analysis of Tuesday’s election results....
RALEIGH — Policy analysts from the John Locke Foundation will discuss taxes, the state budget, property rights, education, the state’s economy, and other key issues this election season in a series of 25 events across the state during the month of September. The “Agenda 2002 Tour” — organized by the Locke Foundation, the North Carolina...
RALEIGH — Today’s decision by Moody’s Investors Service to downgrade North Carolina’s bond rating revealed the pointlessness of last year’s massive $700 million state tax increase, according to two senior staff members at the John Locke Foundation. In a preliminary analysis of the Moody’s decision, which reduced the rating on North Carolina’s general obligation debt...
RALEIGH — A proposed $14.3 billion budget revision now being debated in the North Carolina House relies primarily on tax increases, revenue enhancements and one-time savings to eliminate the state budget deficit, and would set the stage for more costly tax hikes during the 2003 legislative session, according to a preliminary analysis published today by...
RALEIGH — A Spotlight published today by the John Locke Foundation used the term “socialism for capitalists” to describe a bill proposed by the Easley administration to offer new cash grants to selected corporations. Dr. Roy Cordato, an economist who serves as vice president and resident scholar at the Raleigh-based think tank, examined how the...
RALEIGH — John Locke Foundation vice president Don Carrington, who serves as associate publisher of Carolina Journal, appeared this morning during a segment of ABC’s “Good Morning America” program to discuss his recent reporting on how North Carolina’s share of the national tobacco settlement is being spent. The news story quoting Carrington appeared at about...
RALEIGH — The “concept” announced today by Gov. Mike Easley and legislative leaders for the proposed Clean Smokestacks Bill would effectively impose hundreds of millions of dollars a year in higher electric rates on consumers, according to a preliminary analysis by the John Locke Foundation. At a press conference today, Easley and other officials said...
RALEIGH — Newly published figures on tax burdens in the United States confirms that North Carolina now has a significantly higher state and local tax burden than Massachusetts, according to a preliminary analysis by the John Locke Foundation. The Washington-based Tax Foundation released its annual “Tax Freedom Day” report in April, comparing all 50 states...
RALEIGH — Former schoolteacher and school board member Lindalyn Kakadelis of Charlotte has been selected as the new director of the North Carolina Education Alliance, a special project of the Raleigh-based John Locke Foundation. Kakadelis will write articles, participate in public forums, testify before governmental bodies, and comment on education reform issues from her perspective...