Opinion
Time to pull the plug on solar subsidies
Taking into account inefficiency and unreliability of solar power and the unsustainability of our national debt, eliminating the rooftop solar tax credit is a net positive.
News
NC House advances measure to expand childcare options
The North Carolina House is pressing forward with legislation aimed at easing the childcare pipeline. Supporters say that House Bill 412 would address affordability and access issues for families while reducing operational burdens on childcare providers. At the heart of the legislation is the proposal to decouple the state’s Quality Rating Improvement System, or QRIS, from childcare...
Opinion
Government subsidies raises prices, even in childcare
This week a variety of groups have been pushing out narratives on more taxpayer funding for childcare. You may wonder why, suddenly, this is such a crisis issue. It is because billions in COVID-era government handouts to the industry are expiring this month.
News
Towns are pushing for subsidized stadiums, while others struggle to keep them afloat
While some counties look to build new sports complexes, others struggle to pay bills and upkeep.
News
N.C. legislative leaders propose plan that boosts subsidies to lure big corporations
Legislative leaders will boost tax-paid subsidies available in the $23.9 billion 2018-19 budget proposal to induce multibillion-dollar corporations to locate in the state. House Speaker Tim Moore, R-Cleveland, and Senate leader Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, announced a five-point grant and tax credit plan to reporters Thursday, May 17, a day after notifying the Republican Caucus of...
News
JLF: Special interest effect drives up cost of government
Government is bigger and more expensive than it needs to be, thanks to an economic concept called the “special interest effect.” A recent John Locke Foundation Spotlight report explains how the concept drives energy policy, health insurance mandates, and sugar subsidies. The report also suggests ways to fight negative consequences tied to the special interest effect. “It’s a...
Opinion
Don’t Oversell College Subsidies
It always has been implausible to insist that taxpayers be the single largest source of funding for colleges and universities.
Podcast
Budget Reins In Spending Growth, Ends Solar Subsidy
Becki Gray on conservative victories in state budget; legislators discuss impact of renewable mandate on costs; Thom Tillis on role of whistleblowers; Todd Davidson on role of state think tanks; Troy Kickler on North Carolinians in constitutional history
Podcast
Research: Economic Freedom Best Path To Growth
John Hood on research on best path to economic growth; Jacob Vigdor on U.S. students' poor math skills; Renee Ellmers on closing ObamaCare subsidy loophole; Grady Jefferys on stories from his media/political career; George Leef on push for "free" college
News
N.C. Students Among Most Subsidized in Nation
Jon Sanders reports that according to the most recent data, taxpayers in North Carolina pay the fourth-highest per-pupil amount in the nation to subsidize public-college students in their state. Those findings are according to an October Inquiry paper (No. 14, “Providing Access: Who Pays What for Higher Education in N.C.”) by the Pope Center for Higher Education Policy.
Opinion
The Irony on Jones Street
Lawmakers don't seem to have noticed the incongruity in how they vote and what they say about state taxes and economic competitiveness. The result is a classic case of dramatic irony.
Opinion
Research Devil’s Triangle
Boosters of government research subsidies accept uncritically the idea that more taxpayer spending means higher economic returns. Unfortunately, this simplistic model is being used to defend UNC and special-interest pork from budget cuts.
