Five years after leaving office “Governor-for-Life” Jim Hunt is still trying to find ways to raise North Carolina’s taxes. On Feb. 6, Hunt’s Institute for Emerging Issues unveiled his plan to “modernize” our tax code by expanding the tax base.
The Governor-for-Life and his Institute did not even mention the real problem. As President Ronald Reagan so wisely said, “We’ve got a spending problem, not a taxing problem.” This is precisely why North Carolina is continually faced with budgetary problems; the government practices no self-control in spending. Rather than using our tax dollars in the most efficient and responsible manner possible, politicians find it easier to raise our taxes.

A more appropriate proposal would be to review options to “modernize” our gluttonous state government. As long as our spending continues to increase at a rate far in excess of inflation and population growth, we will constantly be increasing taxes.

Hunt’s Institute proposed several ways to “modernize” our tax code, including the expansion of sales taxes, taxing all services, the elimination of all income tax deductions, and even the reintroduction of the food tax. This is a plan for tax reform that any common sense individual would recognize as a great tax hike, but Hunt, eager to sell his idea, is trying to paint the scheme as “revenue neutral.”

In a recent article pitching his tax reform plan, Hunt said, “If we are to have the resources necessary to pay for all the schools and roads that we are going to need, we must improve the way we fund our budget.” It sounds like he was saying that our state needs to take in more tax dollars in order to continue to increase spending; and that suggests Hunt’s real intention is to raise our taxes. His statement negates his claim that he is interested in a “revenue neutral” tax reform plan.

Now Hunt is pushing this idea, particularly the expansion of sales taxes to services, as a progressive way to handle our budgetary problems. He boasts this will make our state, “…a leader in state finance.” Hunt must not be satisfied with the fact that North Carolina already ranks No. 1 in the southeast with the highest individual and corporate taxes. He must want us to become first in the nation.

North Carolina ranks 9th in the nation with the greatest income tax burden, and we have the 12th highest sales tax in the nation. Our gas tax of 24.2 cents per gallon is 11th in the nation. Now Hunt is looking to find even more ways to tax our citizens.

Reagan had another expression to describe the mentality of politicians like Hunt. He said their philosophy about the economy is: “If it moves, tax it.” Yet while the left seems to live by this philosophy, believing they can expand government and taxes indefinitely without consequences, many economists question that philosophy. Increasing our taxes will have negative consequences on the economy, as well as every family budget.

An overwhelming majority of North Carolina voters oppose Hunt’s plan to add services to the sales tax, 82 percent, in fact, according to the latest Civitas DecisionMaker Poll, and only 15 percent believe his tax plan would be “revenue neutral.” They see it for what it is: another “big brother” scheme to take money from individual taxpayers and small businessmen.

It’s time for Governor Hunt and his liberal friends to stop raising taxes and overspending. Instead of finding new ways to “modernize” our tax laws that would only result in more taxes and more spending, they should learn to live within a budget. That’s what every family in North Carolina has to do.

reprinted from www.jwpcivitasinstitute.org

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