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88 N.C. L. Rev. Addendum 1 (2010)

handle is hein.journals/addendum1 and id is 1 raw text is: A TIME FOR ACTION: REFORMING THE NORTH CAROLINA TAX CODE* ANDREW J. HAILE* The economic recession has forced almost all states to make difficult budget decisions, including cuts to education funding and other essential government services. North Carolina is no exception. Faced with a projected $4.6 billion budget shortfall, the General Assembly last year cut services, increased taxes, and yet still had to rely on federal recovery funds to balance the budget. While the depth of the recession may have made last year's budget shortfall to some extent unavoidable, the state's outdated and volatile tax system exacerbated its magnitude. This Article examines the shortcomings of North Carolina's existing tax structure. It then suggests alternatives to modernize the state's tax system and stabilize tax revenues. These suggestions include broadening the sales tax base to include more services and closing existing corporate income tax loopholes. Reforms to the North Carolina tax system are long overdue. This Article provides a pathway to improving that system and calls for legislators to enact long-term solutions to the problems hampering North Carolina's existing tax code. Ultimately, failure to do so will risk the state's ability to continue providing much-needed services and educational opportunities to its citizens. INTRODUCTION .................................................2 I. PROBLEMS WITH THE EXISTING TAX STRUCTURE .....................5 A. The Overworked Individual Income Tax........ ............5 B. The Constantly Increasing Sales Tax....... ....................7 C. The Unpredictable Corporate Income Tax ........................9 II. TAX CHANGES ENACTED BY THE 2009 GENERAL ASSEMBLY ..................................................11 III. THE WAY FORWARD ..............................13 A. Reducing Reliance on the Individual Income Tax by Broadening the Sales Tax Base ........... ..........13 B. Stabilizing the Corporate Income Tax........ ...............17 *D 2010 Andrew J Haile. * Assistant Professor, Elon University School of Law. The author thanks Tracy Williams, Rich Webb, and Daniel Joyce for their research assistance with this Article.

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