Next week, a broad coalition of health care officials, child advocates and educators will endorse a tax increase as a way to avoid what they say are critical cuts to the services North Carolinians need. Sure, I can cut 1 percent out of my budget, but I can't cut 8 percent out of my budget without seriously hurting the services I provide. We need more money, and I think somebody has to say that. Leutze has endorsed a tax increase and will be among those at next week's news conference. Sorien Schmidt, a lawyer at the N.C. Community and Justice Center, says she has seen little evidence that people are strongly opposed to raising taxes.
People are concerned about public schools, universities, the roads, their elderly parents.
Lawmakers, though, are fearful enough of the political repercussions caused by the targeted tax increases favored by Easley. Basnight said most of the calls for broader tax increases is coming from advocacy groups, not from lawmakers' constituents back home. Black said he has heard from both sides.