Brian Balfour

Pop quiz: Should decisions about how the money you earn is spent be decided by: A) You and your loved ones in kitchen table conversations, or B) In committee meetings in Raleigh by self-interested politicians who have never met you That question is at the heart of every debate about…

House Speaker Tim Moore and Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger today released a joint statement announcing that the two chambers have come to an agreement on the total amount of spending to be included in their budget proposal for the fiscal year that begins July…

Roy Cooper, the candidate, boldly declared: “Corporate giveaways and tax cuts for the wealthiest come at a high cost for middle-class families.” Indeed, railing against corporate tax breaks and giveaways has been a prominent theme throughout Cooper’s tenure in office. Below are but some of his statements on the topic:…

Today’s Real Clear Policy included an article warning North Carolina against being seduced by the siren song of empty promises sung by Medicaid expansion supporters: As far back as 2014, Arkansas Senator Bryan King (R) warned other states not to expand after watching his state’s “…

Did North Carolina spend its $3.6 billion in Covid relief funds for their intended purpose? Did the spending yield positive results? According to a newly-released audit by State Auditor Beth Wood’s office, we don’t know. “The North Carolina Pandemic Recovery Office (NCPRO) performed limited monitoring,” according…

On the heels of the poor job growth figures from last week, discussion has been heating up over whether or not unemployment benefits are making the unemployed reluctant to return to work. It is certainly a worthy discussion to have, but unfortunately some of the debate is incomplete. Take, for…

As reported here: US defence contractor Honeywell has been fined US$13 million for harming national security after sharing technical information about American fighter jets and other military aircraft with China and other countries. Honeywell said it “inadvertently shared” the technology during “normal…

Imagine being a business owner and trying to decide where to move or expand your business. State regulations, infrastructure, workforce, geography and many more factors will all weigh in your decision – including taxes. Corporate taxes, property taxes, sales taxes, unemployment taxes will all have an impact, and each one…