By Canaan Huie In my last blog post, I wrote about the difference it makes to local governments as to whether local sales and use tax revenues are allocated based on a point-of-sale basis or per capita basis. You may remember that I wrote about the difference between a “pure” point-of-sale basis allocation and a … Continue reading
By Canaan Huie Locally levied sales and use taxes make up the second largest source of tax revenues for counties and municipalities in North Carolina. Therefore, how these taxes are distributed among local governments can be very important for local finances. Unfortunately, as is all too often the case with tax law, the manner in … Continue reading
In my last post, I wrote about the largest State tax expenditures identified by the Department of Revenue in a report issued in December 2011 and how those expenditures fared under tax reform efforts in 2013 and 2014. Those tax expenditures were all relatively straightforward. However, there are other large tax expenditures that affect State … Continue reading
“A tax loophole is something that benefits the other guy. If it benefits you, it is tax reform.” – former U.S. Senator Russell B. Long (D – Louisiana). “The precise point at which a tax deduction becomes a ‘loophole’ or a tax incentive becomes a ‘subsidy for special interests’ is one of the great mysteries … Continue reading
Though usually a sure-fire cure for insomnia for anyone other than a policy wonk or local government finance officer, local sales taxes have been a hot topic of debate recently in three high-profile news stories. In June, the Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners voted to move forward with a referendum on increasing the local sales … Continue reading