N.C. Sen. Richard Burr and N.C. Rep. Sue Myrick were the most taxpayer-friendly members of the state’s congressional delegation during the 2007 term, according to a recent ratings report by the Council for Citizens Against Government Waste, a conservative watchdog organization based in Washington, D.C.

Burr and Myrick, both Republicans, earned nearly perfect scores in the group’s 2007 rankings, which tracked how lawmakers sided on 100 votes in the House and 35 votes in the Senate on issues such as tax cuts and pork-barrel spending. Burr scored 97 in the new ratings, while Myrick ranked 96. The rankings were up from 2006, when Burr scored 90 percent and Myrick scored 82 percent.

Reps. Howard Coble, R-6th, and Patrick McHenry, R-10th, also earned the designation of “taxpayer hero” by scoring 89 percent and 84 percent, respectively. Rep. Heath Shuler, D-11th, was the highest-scoring N.C. Democrat at 20 percent, while Rep. Robin Hayes, R-8th, was the lowest scoring Republican.

The N.C. delegation averaged 41 percent in the overall rankings. CCAGW rated South Carolina, Arizona, and Oklahoma the highest and Hawaii, North Dakota, and Vermont the lowest.

The 2007 ratings for the entire House were a slight improvement from 2006, but the Senate’s performance fell from 44 percent to 36 percent during the same period. The number of “taxpayer heroes,” defined as lawmakers who score between 80 and 99 percent, rose from 40 in 2006 to 59 in 2007. Three lawmakers, all from the House, scored a perfect 100 percent and earned the group’s “taxpayer superhero” award.

Thirteen senators, including Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., scored zero percent. Sens. Barack Obama, D-Ill., and Joe Biden, D-Del., the Democratic presidential ticket, scored 10 percent and zero percent, respectively.

The Republican nominee for president, Arizona Sen. John McCain, earned a perfect 100 percent, but CCAGW did not award him a taxpayer superhero designation because he was present for only 11 of the 35 Senate votes.

CCAGW President Tom Schatz said that the latest report reflects some positive trends, but that Congress is still overspending. “Taxpayers would be wise to hang onto their wallets and demand that Congress refocus its priorities and cut wasteful spending,” he said.

David N. Bass is an associate editor of Carolina Journal.