This summer may not be filled with pools and part-time jobs for students across the state who’ve struggled with a year of mandated remote school. In March of 2021, the State Board of Education reported that in May of 2020, after two months of remote school, test scores were at their lowest point with 75%...
Those who profess to care about fairness in taxation should take note of the leadership shown by two liberal Democrats who represent Durham in the NC House.
RALEIGH — State Rep. Paul Luebke, D-Durham, introduced a bill last year that would prohibit consultants who advise the state on economic incentive programs to advise businesses on how to obtain incentives under those programs. Luebke developed the bill after Carolina Journal reported that accounting firm Ernst & Young advised officials in the Department of Commerce on the structure of its economic incentives, then represented Time Warner as the cable giant sought to obtain the new tax breaks offered by the state. “In my judgment, making money from both sides of the street is a conflict of interest,” Luebke said.
RALEIGH — A second Commerce Department report on the William S. Lee Act released in as many weeks indicates that 95 percent of the time targeted tax credits are not a “deciding factor” for companies when they make investments or hire workers. The department’s newest report was based on a survey of North Carolina manufacturers. “This report indicates for the majority of firms the Lee Act is not effective. We are simply wasting taxpayer dollars. This points to the necessity of major reform sooner rather than later,” said Rep. Paul Luebke, D-Durham, a frequent critic of the Lee Act.
