NFIB State Director Gregg Thompson released the following statement today on the proposed Senate budget, which incorporates aspects of Senate Bill 717, the proposed Taxpayer Bill of Rights state constitutional amendment:
“Our members applaud Senate leadership for taking the initiative and integrating key provisions of the taxpayer bill of rights into the 2021-22 budget,” said Thompson.
A special ballot of NFIB members in North Carolina conducted this spring shows strong support for a proposed taxpayer bill of rights that would limit government spending to any increased revenue not to exceed the combined rate of inflation plus population growth and require deposits into state savings reserve.
Unlike other business groups, NFIB’s positions on public policy aren’t determined by a board of directors but are based solely on the position of a majority of its members as determined by its state and federal member ballots. The special ballot on the proposed Taxpayer Bill of Rights, or TABOR, showed that 73.8% of NFIB members in the state support it while 10.4% oppose it and 16.5% are undecided.
“In the past, the state has spent more and more every year,” Thompson said. “Right now, the state is fortunate, thanks to many years of good leadership, to have a $6.5 billion budget surplus, and instead of spending it, the Senate wants to cut taxes and help families and small businesses struggling with the economic fallout of the pandemic. That’s exactly what it should do.
“The proposed Taxpayer Bill of Rights would make state government live within its means,” Thompson said. “Our members are glad to see legislators take the initiative to cut spending and ease the tax burden on their own.”
