NC's Overdue Budget Bill Held Hostage By Repubs Seeking 2% Surcharge on Poor/Working Families...LINK

[Blackhatjack]

North Carolina is 3 weeks past the deadline for passing a required balanced budget, costing taxpayers $5mil for each day that passes without an agreement. You can add that to the huge deficit they are trying to bridge with the budget.

Repubs who are the minority in the Legislature are holding up agreement, and have 'set a trap' for Democrats by insisting that a 2% surcharge be applied to ALL TAXPAYERS, including poor and working class families, instead of just to those earning more than $150,000 per year as the Governor proposed.

This is pure political chicanery on its face --Dems cave and Repubs will run ads in the upcoming election how Democrats in the majority raised taxes on poor and working class families. IF Dems refuse, and the budget negotiations drag out, Repubs will run ads saying Dems in the Majority dragged out the negotiations and cost the state millions of $$.

It was reported earlier today that Repubs had proposed 'freezing' enrollment of children in the state program that provides medical care for needy children. There is no length to which Repubs would not go to save the richest taxpayers a few extra bucks, even if it means defunding education and putting children's health at risk.

Hopefully Governor Perdue will follow through with her threat not to sign such a budget if it includes the 2% surcharge on poor and working families.

The LINK below gives the latest...

LINK http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2009/07/23/ap6693072.html

NC gov raises objection to income tax surcharge
By GARY D. ROBERTSON , 07.23.09, 02:03 PM EDT

"RALEIGH, N.C. -- The string that tied together a $982 million tax agreement at the North Carolina Legislature showed signs of fraying Thursday when Gov. Beverly Perdue told legislative leaders she won't support an across-the-board income tax surcharge.

The 2 percent surcharge on all income tax bills was a key element in securing a compromise between House and Senate Democrats and moving toward resolution on passing a two-year budget that's 3 1/2 weeks late.

Perdue said in a news release that she talked Senate leader Marc Basnight and House Speaker Joe Hackney on Thursday and told them "I would not support a budget with an income tax increase on North Carolina's working families. I reemphasized the need to protect public schools."

Legislators earlier had considered placing the surcharge only on the highest wage earners, said House Majority Leader Hugh Holliman, D-Davidson. For example, that could be individual taxpayers making more than $150,000."

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