North Carolina Republicans Raise Taxes

NC Republicans Raise Taxes

Speaker of the NC House of Representatives is Thom Tillis, Senate President Pro Tem is Phil Berger.  Both are Republicans, both lead Republican majorities – including a nearly 2-to-1 majority in the Senate, and both voted to raise taxes in North Carolina in 2013.  Think the Republicans are the party of less interference in your life – you’re wrong.  Think the Republicans are the party of more freedom for Americans – you’re wrong.  Think the Republicans are the party of fewer, smaller, and fairer taxation – you’re wrong again.  Three strikes, baby.

One of the first orders of business for the new Republican Congress back in January of 2013 was to limit people’s freedom of speech while they are assembled to seek redress of grievances – by making it an illegal form of protest for women to bare their breasts when chastening government idiocy.  Does this sound to you like greater freedom?  Does this sound like less interference in our lives?

This Republican led legislature – very old fashioned and no doubt devout – also raised taxes.  The sales tax for a new manufactured or modular home more than doubled and the tax-caps in place were repealed.  The taxes on electricity and natural gas went up significantly, essentially doubling as well.  Sales taxes were expanded to include the cost of going to a movie, or to call a plumber to the house.  There is now a 50% tax on the sales of newspapers sold through coin-op paper box.  This does nothing to increase readership or encourage the proper dissemination of information.   The GOP repealed the sales tax holiday for school supplies, which really didn't dent the retailers since everybody who cares about their child’s education still had to buy that stuff anyway.  The Raleigh Republicans increased the taxes on farmers’ sales of agricultural products and purchases of the tools of their trade.  On the other hand, they did keep in place special tax incentives for their friends in NASCAR and Hollywood.

Now I did not know most of that either until I went digging for information about something I was curious about.  I’ll bet you didn't know this either.  I went to a fast food restaurant recently with one of my kids.  The bill came to an even $10.00, and the tax came to $0.68.  The tax rate in Gaston County is 6.75%.  The question I find myself asking is this – where does the extra half-penny go?  The tax should have been $0.675, but of course, you can’t charge somebody half a penny tax. 

On the one hand, maybe the business keeps it as a little kickback for processing the taxes they send up to the state.  Maybe they make a hundred bucks in sales, send $6.75 to Raleigh and keep a nickel for themselves.  Maybe they make ten-thousand dollars in sales, send $675 to Raleigh and pad their profits five bucks.  In a year that wouldn't total two grand, but two grand is more than one-fiftieth of a chocolate treat to me.  I sure wouldn't balk at the extra cash and I can’t imagine any businessman would neglect that money either.

On the other hand, maybe the businesses have to send every penny they collect to the state.  I could uncover no answers to my query (hence this letter).  I also cannot pin this one on the elephant, because this tax rate was drawn up by donkeys.  This means that the state is collecting revenue above and beyond mere tens and twenties a business might get – Raleigh is raking in reams of extra revenue, and we aren't getting any better representation!  They do all this while cutting programs for the people who could use the help simultaneously giving cash away to those who don’t.

Now, if that doesn't stick in your craw, consider this – if you and a friend go out to eat and both of you pay a bill of ten dollars separately, then you both paid an extra half-penny to somebody.  Maybe you paid the business and maybe you paid the State, who knows.  If you disapprove of tax favoritism, where some people win and others lose (and the government gets to decide who), keep that penny in your own pocket and pay together.  Additionally, increase the rate at which you hassle the government goons to do something about that stupid fractional tax rate, because somebody who doesn't deserve your money is getting it.