The sickness has spread to North Carolina

[octoberlib]

State Republicans propose eliminating personal & corporate income tax in exchange for higher sales tax.

RALEIGH Republican lawmakers outlined a proposal Wednesday to revamp the state’s tax system, offering a slew of reforms that would radically shift the tax burden in North Carolina.

The proposal would eliminate personal and corporate income taxes in exchange for higher state sales taxes levied against groceries, medical expenses and other currently tax-free services.

Senate leader Phil Berger said the moves are necessary to modernize the state’s tax code and kick-start a struggling economy. He pointed to the state’s tax rates, saying the current 6.9 percent corporate tax rate and 7.75 percent personal tax rate for the highest earners are among the highest in the region.

“It is important for us in terms of our competitive posture with other states,” the Republican from Eden told reporters. “It is important for us in terms of making sure there is a fair allocation of the cost of government.”

http://cltblog.com/40570


Yeah, shift the tax burden to the poor.

[Angry Dragon]

1. Berger is another idiot and Satan minion

[uponit7771]

34. lol

[DJ13]

2. There goes the NC economy

Dumb.

[Speck Tater]

3. Someday the peons will notice they are being peed on.

I wonder how far the 1% can push it before the masses show up with pitchforks and torches.

[Kingwithnothrone]

4. they got a lot of push left

Too many upper "middle class" turd blossoms who live in a nice comfy little bubble and think they are immune from the ravages of Capitalism enabling the pigs in the trough.They are generally "displeased with the current state of affairs" of course,but you can rest assure if push comes to shove,they are siding with the boss every time, because deep down they think they are the boss.You would be surprised at how many of these "agents of change" who pay compassionate lip service could actually care less about the unemployed,the poor,the elderly as long as they get to preserve their economic interest and political comfort zone.No solidarity to be found there until the tides of poverty and humility wash over their luxurious boats.

[Speck Tater]

5. Come the great hunger, the middle class will notice, and notice big time. nt

[Kingwithnothrone]

7. i just don't get it

Republicans,what do they gain.Gut Medicare,SS,Medicaid,and win elections?They couldn't get elected to run a hot dog stand the way things are going.That is why i have no patience for any talk of compromise from the President or Democrats in congress.Bury the bastards and show a little little respect for the Left.

The Republicans are always talking about God.If a God entity were to exist,it does not approve.


"It is not the will of God for some to have everything and others to have nothing. This cannot be God" -- ArchBishop Oscar Romero

[freshwest]

9. The Archbishop doesn't know the GOP god.

[We People]

11. Not totally off-topic: Read a little about Archbishop Romero

If you hadn't said something about him in your post, I may have missed the quote from him at the closing of another post.

I haven't thought about him for awhile, but his was a tragic story - tragic in the way that MLK, Jr.'s story was tragic. Oscar Romero was martyred in 1980 while living among the poor in El Salvador.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oscar_Romero

He has been memorialized in our own culture through film (including by Oliver Stone), music, and other art.
Note: "On 22 March 2011, U.S. President Barack Obama visited Romero's tomb during an official visit to El Salvador (his last stop on a Latin American tour)."

Again, pardon my digression, but I just felt compelled to share this.

[datasuspect]

15. the great hunger and the great die off

[freshwest]

8. You nailed it.

[nc4bo]

19. Yep.

I call them The Wannabes and Thinktheyares.

There time will come.

[samsingh]

6. the repugs continue to go backward

it will kill tourism

[freshwest]

10. Yes, shift the tax burden to the poor, who won't be able to pay enough to keep things going.

Cut more, lose more opportunity, health, housing and revenue. Sales taxes are always regressive taxes, harming those who have the least. They are the flat tax the upper income people want instead of an income or property tax, for a couple of reasons.

First regarding income, they've hidden their income through loopholes that the poor never qualify for. Second, they do the same with property, much of which is merely investment property and not essential, which the poor often can't do. The property of the poor is vulnerable, just as their purchases are.

Third, the sales tax as a percentage of income or assets, is insignificant to the upper income citizens and owners of investments, but is a major cost to the poor. It makes them deny major purchases as being out of their reach.

This is what gets police and fire departments and city inspection and health offices closed down. This is what drives more peeople into poverty and the GOP knows it. Their lies are so blatant, only the braindead would buy them.

The problem is that the media is solely in their hands in every venue and they make the lie into the truth by giving the voters nothing to contrast the lies and denying voice to the poor.

This is a sorry state of affairs.

[We People]

12. It's tragic that it's practically chic to be callous and hateful toward the poor

Shifting to more sales tax is one way of doing it.

It's is obscene and amoral. I hope it does NOT prevail.

[stultusporcos]

13. This is what the majority want in NC and other Red States

otherwise the Pubs would not have been voted in to office.

I would recommend relocating to a better place or if you stay prepare for the worst to happen in your state.

I would say work to get out the vote, or run for office but I see it as a lost cause, try if you want and if you do good luck.

[Scuba]

14. Your claim assumes that NC voters are well-informed and make their decisions logically....

.... this is simply not true.

Try reading Drew Westen 's "The Political Brain" and you'll begin to understand that emotion rules logic in these matters.

[stultusporcos]

30. Hence I do not live in NC or any other place where logic and reason are ignored

People have choices in life they can choose to change their situation or they can accept their situation and make the best of it.

Make a choice and move on.

[mmonk]

18. Depends on how you evaluate "majority".

In 2010, the Republicans took over the legislature for the first time since Reconstruction. They then gerrymandered the voting districts. There were more votes in 2012 for Democrats, however, Republicans now have control of the US House delegation 9 to 4 and control of the state legislature. It's not who votes, but who counts and how the votes are counted.

[mmonk]

16. Yes, it took over after the elections of 2010 and the election of Pay-To-Play Pat.

That is why I was out protesting last weekend. You can't sit on your butt anymore wishing it away. Here are the details and pictures of it:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/101791768

[octoberlib]

24. I live in Charlotte and sent off

some letters today. Good to see you guys and the News Observer giving McCrory hell.

[mmonk]

25. Excellent

[davidpdx]

17. I've lost track at how many times Oregon has rejected a sales tax

It's more than a dozen times I believe.

[quakerboy]

31. As many as it takes

that's one I will fight hard on any time it comes up. No. No. and No again. I dont care who proposes it, what their intentions are, No.

[nc4bo]

20. Here's ThinkProgress' article..

http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2013/01/14/1441951/north-carolina-taxes-poor/

The Tarheel state’s incoming governor, Pat McCrory (R), has called for tax reform, but has yet to embrace any specific proposal.

North Carolina’s tax system already benefits the well off, with the richest 1 percent paying 6.8 percent, compared to 9.5 percent for those making less than $17,000, according to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. Shifting to a larger sales tax will hit low-income residents the hardest, as they spend a much larger percentage of their income on basic needs. Tacking the sales tax onto food will make this change even worse for those at the bottom of the income scale.

Such a shift would also be bad for North Carolina’s economy. As Alexandra Forter Sirota of the North Carolina Justice Center wrote, “relying only on consumption taxes would make our revenue system less stable. When the next downturn hits and consumer spending plummets, North Carolina’s revenue would plummet along with it with no other tax to counter-balance its decline. That would trigger even harsher cuts to education, health care and public safety than we’ve seen in the last few years.”

We will be living in interesting times.

[octoberlib]

23. Thanks for the link! nt

[tjwash]

21. "competitive posture" That's what fucking corps say that outsource jobs to India and China.

[n2doc]

22. yep. Then when next year's budget has a huge deficit, cut education and services

Rinse and repeat. The "Texas" model where the poor and middle class pay all taxes and get little in return is their goal. But the people are too dumb to realize it, because they are high on haterade and fetus worship.

[nc4bo]

27. Why should we depend upon their mighty spending habits as a tax base? WTH

Steady revenue or revenue as the high and mighty see fit that they need a new golden toilet to shit in this month.

[n2doc]

28. Troll's gone

Don't worry about them. They will just say that it is all due to those social programs and Unions when NC has a massive deficit problem next year.

[nc4bo]

29. That was fast! Glad it's gone - what a fool. In fact, anyone who subscribes to that mess is a

straight-up fool.

And yea, you're right about what they'll blame. Completely forgetting that McCrony is Gov. and the GOPers cheated for the rest.

[okaawhatever]

32. Lived there. Tell everyone over 50 J. Helms didn't support the idea. nt

[arthritisR_US]

33. The poor and those on fixed low pensions

will really be hurt by this