It's not just a "painless penny." | Eastern North Carolina Now

   Bill Cook originally published this piece in the Greenville Daily Reflector, but sent it to BCN for us to publish for wider distribution.

   In a September 8 editorial in the Daily Reflector, Democratic Rep. Bill Faison offered a "jobs plan" on the same day that he held a press conference in Raleigh to pitch his idea. Faison's plan: raise the state sales tax by one cent. He claims that by reinstituting the sales tax increase, we will save jobs and fix our problems "with the power of the painless penny."
Bill Cook hammers home Conservative issues at a recent rally.     photo by Stan Deatherage
    First, we're not talking simply about a penny, and it is far from painless. This tax increase would take over one billion dollars out of the hands of North Carolina working families and put it back into government coffers. To claim that this is only one penny is disingenuous and misses the point; this is a decision about trust. Who do you trust more with your money: the government, or yourself? I trust you, the taxpayer, to spend your hard-earned money as you see fit. Liberals believe government spending will lead us out of this recession. We have all seen the folly of this philosophy on the national scene. I believe empowering private citizens and the private sector is the only way to stimulate sustainable job growth.

    Democrats are desperate to raise the sales tax, despite their promise to the contrary two years ago. They seem to forget that the sales tax affects everyone, and has a greater impact on working people and senior citizens on fixed incomes. Everyone loses more money if we raise the sales tax, including those who are unemployed.

    For decades, North Carolina government has engaged in a continuous process of raising taxes in the hope that it would lead to economic prosperity and job development. It has not worked. Democrats tried for years to tax their way into prosperity. It's time we take a different approach.