Joseph Coletti

Senior Fellow, Fiscal Studies
Joe Coletti is a senior fellow at the John Locke Foundation focused on fiscal policy issues. He previously headed the North Carolina Government Efficiency and Reform initiative within the Office of State Budget and Management, which led to changes automotive fleet management, natural and cultural resources, and state contracting. He has spent his career improving operations and strategies at for-profit, nonprofit, and government entities. He has degrees from Johns Hopkins SAIS and the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

Posts by Joseph Coletti (page 1)

  • How to set a budget target

    The Taxpayer Bill of Rights proposed in SB717 includes language that, if adopted, would preempt the kind of debate currently raging between the Senate and House over how to calculate the spending limit for a year. It would be a good addition to statute regardless what happens with…
    Joseph Coletti, May 27, 2021
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  • First, fix the roads

    In his recent report on state transportation spending, Randal O’Toole agrees with the NC FIRST Commission that the state should move from the gas tax to a mileage-based user fee for road funding but questions the commission’s assumptions on how much money the state needs. John Hood wrote in…
    Joseph Coletti, May 26, 2021
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  • Senate Proposes to Restart Tax Reform

    It has been four years since the legislature last passed a significant tax reform. Key senators hope to get back on track this year. Senate Finance Chairs Paul Newton, Bill Rabon, and Warren Daniel discussed their plan in a press conference this morning. JOBS Grants The biggest item would…
    Joseph Coletti, May 25, 2021
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  • Why Not an Earned Income Tax Credit?

    A state EITC would inherit the costs of the federal program without adding to the benefits, making it of questionable value. Legislators would get more bang for the buck by increasing the child tax deduction or expanding the zero-tax bracket. Here’s why. Despite bipartisan support for…
    Joseph Coletti, May 21, 2021
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  • Mostly good news in rules on ARPA spending and taxes

    On Monday, the US Treasury Department released an “interim final rule” on what states can do if they take money from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). Based on the rule and the Tax Foundation’s summary, here are a few key points for North Carolina legislators and Gov. Roy…
    Joseph Coletti, May 11, 2021
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  • What is in the Taxpayer Bill of Rights

    The current version of Senate Bill 717 would add a Taxpayer Bill of Rights to the state constitution and provide two conforming amendments to carry it out. You can compare it to Colorado’s Taxpayer’s (possessive) Bill of Rights, past attempts to protect taxpayers in North Carolina, and some of…
    Joseph Coletti, April 21, 2021

  • Proposed Taxpayer Bill of Rights spotlights contrast in governing

    If you want to see the difference in philosophy of government, look first at spending. For a glaring example, compare Gov. Roy Cooper’s big budget blowout with the sustainable spending state senators would enshrine in the state constitution. Cooper’s budget proposal would increase General Fund appropriations $2.9 billion…
    Joseph Coletti, April 15, 2021
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  • Covid-19 bill in Congress still awful, unnecessary and potentially counterproductive

    Moderate Democrats in the Senate are the last line of defense for fiscal sanity and against the $1.9 trillion Covid-19 disaster exacerbation bill. With the economy strengthening, vaccines promised for all adults by the end of May, and schools and states reopening, the need for the bill weakens and concerns…
    Joseph Coletti, March 5, 2021
    Foreboding Capitol