Does Gov. Perdue Have the Authority to Move Money?

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When Gov. Perdue announced plans to borrow nearly $500 million from several state budget accounts in order to pay income tax refunds in a timely manner, people waiting for those refunds cheered, but other folks, including retired North Carolina Supreme Court Justice Bob Orr raised red flags. Orr, head of the North Carolina Institute for Constitutional Law, explains constitutional concerns about moving money from certain pots to other pots, despite claims by state controller David McCoy, who says the moves are within the governor's authority. Orr also discusses legislative efforts to require a photo I.D. to vote in North Carolina and the constitutional issues at play. Then we turn to local tax options. Voters across North Carolina have rejected every proposed land-transfer tax increase placed on local ballots since 2007. Now some state lawmakers want to take that particular form of tax increase off the table. You'll hear highlights from a recent debate on a bill to repeal the land-transfer tax option for North Carolina counties. Next is an update on legislation related to public charter schools. State lawmakers have spent much of their time this year haggling over a bill to lift North Carolina's statewide cap of 100 charters. Sen. Richard Stevens, R-Wake, explains why the idea has attracted so much interest among education reformers. That's followed by a look at corporate welfare as practiced in North Carlolina. Fans of free markets do not like the targeted grants and tax breaks government offers particular businesses. But if North Carolina is unwilling to get rid of this type of incentive, Jeanette Doran says lawmakers ought to tie the tax breaks and grants to a "but for" provision. The senior staff attorney at the N.C. Institute for Constitutional Law says "but for" language would force businesses and government agencies to show that the targeted company would not have moved to North Carolina or expanded its operations here without the taxpayer-funded incentive. And finally, with April 15 approaching, most of us are focused on getting our federal and state income taxes filed. What we pay in local taxes usually doesn't get much of our attention, but a new John Locke Foundation report helps put the spotlight on local tax burdens. JLF Director of Health and Fiscal Policy Studies Joe Coletti analyzes the average local tax burden in our state and explains why and how the report can help average North Carolinians assess the value of local services versus taxes paid.