Goss Says No State Gas Tax Increases, Fields Question About Possible 2010 Congressional Campaign

monday, may 11 2009
North Carolina Senator Steve Goss said the state will not raise the gas tax while he appeared on AM 1450 WATA’s Roten in the Morning show.

Goss said, “We are not going to increase the gas tax… I’m chair of the appropriations committee in the Senate and on the transportation for the state and that’s one thing that needs to be ruled out up front.”

Roten in the Morning’s host, Jonathon Roten, asked the senator about raising the gas tax because the idea had been kicked around as a way to help the state meet the budget.

Goss also said state lawmakers capped the state gas tax in their last session.

Roten also said he had heard rumors about Goss running for Congress next election. Roten asked Goss about the possibility of him running for the U.S. House of Representatives against Virginia Foxx in 2010’s election.

Goss said, “Well, right now, Jonathon, of course I’m a membmer of the NC Senate, thankfully, representing Ashe, Alexander, Wilkes, and Watauga. Who knows what the future holds, but right now I am focused on our state budget and on the needs of our people in North Carolina.”

Before being elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, Foxx spent 10 years as a state senator in North Carolina. Goss is currently serving his second term in the North Carolina Senate.

 

**NOTE** – Oh Yeah, with Joines gone Goss is full steam ahead!

Lifting ban on illegal immigrants may profit colleges

By Francis X. Gilpin
Staff writer

North Carolina community colleges would make money by enrolling illegal immigrants.

That finding from consultants hired by the State Board of Community Colleges appears to blow a hole in the main argument of those who see undocumented students as a drain on the public purse.

But community college officials remained cautious Friday as they awaited official reaction to the report from their state governing board.

“From our standpoint, we will comply with whatever the system office determines is the best approach for us to follow,” said Bill Mauney, one of the few local officials willing to address the politically touchy topic.

http://www.fayobserver.com/article?id=324177

Proposal Would Increase Taxes On All Investors

Carolina Journal Exclusives

Excise tax would cover entire transaction, regardless of profit or loss

By Karen McMahan

April 23, 2009

RALEIGH — A bill being considered in the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee would impose an excise tax of 0.25 percent on the purchase and sale of all stocks, options, and futures. The tax would apply to the entire transaction amount, regardless of whether the trade results in a profit or a loss.

Democrats pushing the bill want to make Wall Street pay for the $750 billion bailout of the financial industry. By imposing the tax at the exchange level, the bill’s sponsor, U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., and 13 Democratic co-sponsors believe it will have “a negligible impact on the average investor.”\http://www.carolinajournal.com/exclusives/display_exclusive.html?id=5367

Easley: Campaign used car

Revised filing says it became personal vehicle in 2005

BY J. ANDREW CURLISS – STAFF WRITER
Published: Tue, Apr. 21, 2009 04:22AMModified Tue, Apr. 21, 2009 04:46AM

Former Gov. Mike Easley has offered a new explanation of why his son drove a sport utility vehicle, apparently for several years, that the Easleys did not own.

Easley says the 2000 GMC Yukon owned by a Robeson County dealership was “made available” for use as a campaign vehicle beginning in early 2003, according to documents filed with the State Board of Elections on Friday and Monday by a lawyer for Easley’s campaign committee.

The campaign used the SUV in 2003 and 2004 and part of 2005, wrote the lawyer, John Wallace of Wallace & Nordan in Raleigh. From mid-2005 on, the vehicle was used for “personal purposes,” he wrote.

http://www.newsobserver.com/politics/story/1494105.html

Ron Paul argues against bailout policies at Wake

By John Hinton | Journal Reporter

Published: April 21, 2009

The financial crisis was caused by excessive credit, too much printed money and government debt and can’t be solved by the federal bailout of banking, insurance and car companies, U.S. Rep. Ron Paul said last night at Wake Forest University.

“If we don’t clean up this mess, big government will take away our liberty,” Paul said. “The bailout is as bad as the financial bubble.”

Paul, R-Texas, spoke for about 40 minutes at Wait Chapel to more than 800 people, including WFU students, Winston-Salem residents and people who supported his campaign for the president’s office. The Wake Forest Young Americans for Liberty and the Wake Forest College Republicans organized the event.

http://www2.journalnow.com/content/2009/apr/21/ron-paul-argues-against-bailout-policies-at-wake/news-local/

‘Tea party’ gets pretty hot

Thousands of conservatives rally in Raleigh against taxes, debt

RALEIGH — At age 65, Jim Lewis had never been to a protest, but the nationwide wave of anti-tax “tea parties” — and the dismay among conservatives with the Obama administration’s spending plans and bailouts that sparked them — finally gave him cause enough.

He and his wife, Donna, drove an hour and a half from their home near Greensboro to join a few thousand people at two such rallies in Raleigh on Wednesday.

http://www.newsobserver.com/news/story/1487634.html

Iredell residents voice displeasure with government at ‘TEA parties’

Bruce Matlock photo
More than 100 people rallied Wednesday in downtown Statesville.

By Bethany Fuller | Statesville R&L

Published: April 16, 2009

The sounds of protesters yelling and car horns answering in resounding agreement echoed around the corner of Front and Center streets Wednesday.

Participants in one of Statesville’s TEA (Taxed Enough Already) parties stood on the four corners, waving signs and shouting their message to passers-by.

They are frustrated. They feel ignored by the government. They want their version of change.

“Folks, it’s like we are a nation going under,” said Jane Reeves, who lives in Harmony.http://www2.statesville.com/content/2009/apr/16/iredell-residents-voice-displeasure-government-tea/news-local/

Tax refunds running late

by Tom Joyce1 month ago | 449 views | 1 | |

Everyone who is due a 2008 state tax refund will get their money, a N.C. Department of Revenue official said Tuesday — the question is when.

Delays in receiving tax-refund checks have been reported around the state, a situation being blamed on a sagging economy and resulting cash-flow problems for the Department of Revenue.

Those having trouble getting a check include a Mount Airy businessman, who along with his wife have not received their refund of about $3,000 despite repeated contacts since early this year. “We just paid too much,” he said, explaining that the couple is owed the money through their business operations.

Vehicle Project Seeks $18 Million Jump Start From Taxpayers

Public sources have sunk $17 million into struggling northeastern center

By Don Carrington
March 04, 2009

RALEIGH — Supporters of a struggling state-funded vehicle research center in Northampton County are seeking an additional $18.2 million from state taxpayers. Since the center’s inception in 2005, the General Assembly and other public sources have committed $17 million to the project. 

Rep. Michael Wray, D-Northampton, introduced a bill Feb. 12 that would send another $18.2 mi llion to the project over the next two fiscal years. The bill designates $1.9 million for operating costs and the remainder for continued construction costs. State Sen. Ed Jones, D–Halifax, introduced an identical bill in the Senate.

The project, N.C. Center for Automotive Research (NCCAR), was known until April 2007 as the N.C. Advanced Vehicle Research Center. NCCAR is organized as a nonprofit, and Northampton County Economic Development Director Gary Brown serves as president.

“NCCAR plans to be an independent, non-profit center devised to meet the ever-evolving product research, testing and development demands of the automotive industry,” according to its Web site. The 625-acre site, just off Interstate 95 outside Roanoke Rapids, is to include a 4.6-mile test track, advanced laboratory, and client garages. 

http://www.carolinajournal.com/exclusives/display_exclusive.html?id=2553

*SIDENOTE – I  know this is a bit late, but its a good read from the John Locke Foundation. *

Perdue’s Budget

JOURNAL EDITORIAL STAFF

Published: March 19, 2009

When governments need more money, they turn to sin taxes as an easy option. Gov. Bev Perdue has done that in a big way by proposing an unprecedented $500 million tax increase on cigarettes and alcohol.

Perdue faced an enormous challenge in compiling a budget this year, given that state revenues will fall $3.4 billion below expectations. When such an enormous shortfall develops, everyone should sacrifice, including the tobacco industry. That is especially so because cigarettes create health costs for their users that the state helps pay.

http://www2.journalnow.com/content/2009/mar/19/perdues-budget/opinion-editorials/