Advocacy group to campaign for NC tax reform

April 16, 2013

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) -- Conservative political group Americans for Prosperity announced Tuesday a $500,000 marketing and advocacy campaign to push tax reform through the North Carolina General Assembly.


The group's North Carolina chapter will lead an effort that includes town hall meetings, grassroots organizing and advertising. The effort is meant to encourage action on a Depression-era tax code that ranks the state among the highest regionally in corporate and income taxes, said Dallas Woodhouse, state director.

Legislators from both parties have long talked about reforming the state's outdated tax code to make it more competitive.

The only comprehensive tax overhaul unveiled so far this session would lower both corporate and individual income tax rates to 6 percent. The combined local and state sales tax that most consumers pay would fall from 6.75 percent to 6.5 percent but would expand to new services that were previously exempted.

North Carolina's corporate rate of 6.9 percent and top individual rate of 7.75 percent rank among the highest in the Southeast.

Those and other figures show that North Carolina has fallen behind the times, said Lt. Gov. Dan Forest.

"I believe it is time for us to get back in the game, to make some bold moves," he added.

Americans for Prosperity will advocate specifically for a large tax cut up front that they argue will jumpstart economic growth. The group also wants sales taxes free of exemptions, the elimination of tax credits such as the earned income tax credit and reform for other taxes they say overlap.

Woodhouse said the organization will publish polling data showing that the public supports its philosophy, but he declined to reveal the source before the release. He said the group wants to keep the marketing campaign issue-based but could target specific lawmakers who don't support the group's anti-tax message.

"The plan right now is to be more positive, but I won't rule that out," he said.

CONTINUED:  http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/N/NC_XGR_TAX_REFORM_NCOL-?SITE=NCWIN&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

Lieutenant Governor Dan Forest To Push for Tax Reform

Lieutenant Governor Dan Forest To Push for Tax Reform


Press Conference Today

4/16/2013                                

Contact: Hal Weatherman 919-715-1949

AFP President Tim Phillips to Announce Major NC Tax Reform Initiative

Lt. Gov. Dan Forest to join Phillips and State Director Dallas Woodhouse in announcing unprecedented grassroots effort to pass major tax relief and reform

AFP to detail major outreach effort to reform North Carolina’s broken tax code

RALEIGH, NC – One day after millions of North Carolina citizens finished filing their state taxes using North Carolina’s complicated and punishing tax code, AFP will detail its “Back in the Game” push for tax relief and reform. That will put North Carolina “Back in the Game” for jobs with a new tax code that taxes less, taxes fair and taxes simple.

What: Americans for Prosperity “Back in the Game” Press Conference

When: Tuesday April 16th 12:30 P.M.

Where: In front of the Legislative Building, 16 W. Jones Street

Who: 

Lt. Governor Dan Forest

Tim Phillips, President of Americans for Prosperity

Dallas Woodhouse, State Director of Americans for Prosperity – North Carolina

Americans for Prosperity (AFP) is a nationwide organization of citizen-leaders committed to advancing every individual’s right to economic freedom and opportunity. AFP believes reducing the size and intrusiveness of government is the best way to promote individual productivity and prosperity for all Americans. For more information, visit www.americansforprosperity.org


See more at: http://www.ltgov.state.nc.us/News/PressReleaseDetail.aspx?newsItemid=1150#sthash.QJdPvrJB.BBdilz2Z.dpuf

Tea Party Patriots: 12 Days of Solutions!

12 Days of Solutions - The Penny Plan

Washington is at it again. They’re talking about ways to take more of your money to pay for Congress’ inability to actually be fiscally responsible.

Unfortunately for the establishment politicians leading our country to ruin, there exist plans that would actually do a great deal of good for the country. Over the next 12 days, Tea Party Patriots will be discussing 12 of them, and asking you to call your Congressman to ask him or her to support each plan.

The first plan is the Penny Plan. Introduced in 2011, it aims to balance the budget by 2018 by cutting one penny in non-interest federal outlays from each dollar the government spends. Rather than cut from expected spending, the Penny Plan cuts from today’s spending. It also aims to cap spending at 18% of GDP, which is at least one-quarter less than today’s spending levels.
The plan is spelled out in more detail on our website,  but you get the idea. Real cuts. Unlike the “cuts” in discussion on Capitol Hill.

Of course, we know that the establishment in Washington will take a plan as simple as this seriously. As the "fiscal cliff" looms we will see them agree to a bad deal that raises taxes and increases spending which will surely have a devastating affect on the economy, inflating prices for everyday consumers and increasing the number of people who are unemployed. So, in the unlikely event that Washington will prove us wrong, we DARE them to take up the Penny Plan and actually make real cuts in spending.

Call your Member of Congress. Let him or her know that Speaker Boehner should present the Penny Plan to President Obama instead of raising your taxes.

http://us2.campaign-archive2.com/?u=378811b3c052d40a005861416&id=41e04cb569&e=234bcfe2d6

12 Days of Solutions - Saving the American Dream

Today, Day 3 of 12 Days of Solutions, finds Washington still fighting over how many of your hard-earned dollars you don’t deserve to keep. Unfortunately, all of the plans in discussion are woefully inadequate.

This lack of attention to quality plans is why Tea Party Patriots is proud to bring a comprehensive plan to balance the budget and enact tax reform to your attention. That plan is the Heritage Foundation’s “Saving the American Dream” budget proposal.

How will this plan save the American Dream? Unlike the proposals being bandied about in Congress, it will:

1. Enact legitimate tax reform.
2. Make Medicare and Social Security solvent for generations.
3. Eliminate much of the unconstitutional non-defense discretionary spending in subsidies, education, and other areas of the federal budget.
4. Get rid of the Affordable Care Act.
5. Balance the budget in 10 years.

Unfortunately, our elected leaders have ignored the plan. It is therefore up to us to pressure them into bringing it forward during the fiscal cliff debate. Of course we know that the Washington establishment will never bring this plan forward, but we DARE them to do something to actually fix the problems instead of kicking the can down the road for us to worry about in the future. Call your Members of Congress and tell them to bring the Saving the American Dream plan up for a vote!

Check out more at http://www.teapartypatriots.org

12 Days of Solutions - Cut Taxes to Promote Economic Growth

Once again, Washington is discussing how to take more of your money under the guise of “helping” you. In reality, they are talking about covering for the political establishment’s unwillingness to balance the budget, but they hide that behind talk of taxing “the rich.”

Yesterday, we outlined what the Penny Plan does for the federal budget – namely, balance non-interest spending. Today, we’re urging you to call your Member of Congress to ask him or her to support the basic platform of cutting tax rates across the board.

Over the last 50 years, tax cuts have proven to drastically increase the dynamic nature of the American economy. Whether under President Kennedy or President Reagan, the economy was always stronger after tax cuts.

Unfortunately, Washington refuses to admit its problem is spending, not a lack of tax dollars going to Washington bureaucrats. We urge you to call your Member of Congress and tell him or her to lower taxes overall, not go along with the massive tax hikes coming in 2013.

Of course, we know that the establishment in Washington will take a plan as simple as this seriously. As the "fiscal cliff" looms we will see them agree to a bad deal that raises taxes and increases spending which will surely have a devastating affect on the economy, inflating prices for everyday consumers and increasing the number of people who are unemployed. So, in the unlikely event that Washington will prove us wrong, we DARE them to cut taxes for all Americans to jump start the economy.

Call your Member of Congress. Let him or her know that Speaker Boehner should propose cutting taxes for all Americans to President Obama instead of raising your taxes.

Tea Party Patriots, Inc. operates as a social welfare organization organized under section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code. Contributions to Tea Party Patriots, Inc. are not deductible as charitable contributions for income tax purposes.

http://us2.campaign-archive1.com/?u=378811b3c052d40a005861416&id=65416bf9d1&e=234bcfe2d6

Americans for Prosperity: Fall Issues Update

Congress is currently in the middle of its traditional August recess, but they will have a full agenda in September when they return. Tax reform, violating last year’s debt ceiling deal and health care are poised to dominate the policy discourse. We’ll continue to update you about critical developments as they occur.


Staying informed is pivotal to being a good activist. Click below to learn more from our sister organization, Americans for Prosperity Foundation, about these pressing issues for the fall.

•Need to Know: Fiscal Cliff:  January 1, 2013 brings the expiration of the Bush era tax cuts; it will also usher in several new taxes from the President’s health care law. The dramatic increase in taxes will surely hit this weak economic recovery.

•Need to Know: Medicare and IPAB:  Congressman Paul Ryan’s selection as the Republican vice-presidential candidate put a spotlight back on Medicare and the President’s use of a board of 15 unelected, unaccountable bureaucrats to control Medicare.

•Need to Know: The Budget Control Act:  Last summer, Congress agreed to raise the debt ceiling in exchange for $1.2 trillion cuts in spending dubbed the sequester. Congress seems poised to undo their agreement from only a year ago.

•Need to Know: Medicaid Expansion:  Following the Supreme Court’s ruling on health care, states now have the option whether to expand their broken, costly Medicaid system.


Sincerely,
Americans for Prosperity

Americans for Prosperity® (AFP) is a nationwide organization of citizen leaders committed to advancing every individual's right to economic freedom and opportunity. AFP believes reducing the size and scope of government is the best safeguard to ensuring individual productivity and prosperity for all Americans. AFP educates and engages citizens in support of restraining state and federal government growth, and returning government to its constitutional limits. AFP has more than 2,000,000 members, including members in all 50 states, and 34 state chapters and affiliates. For more information, visit www.americansforprosperity.org