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Golf tax pitch drives fears

Submitted by bniolet on July 16, 2009 - 6:14am.

If Del Ratcliffe thought he could charge people more than $30 to play golf at his Charles T. Meyers Golf Course, one of the five Charlotte-area courses he owns, he would. But he says people would spend their money elsewhere.

But state lawmakers might be increasing his prices against his will. When they started knocking around various tax proposals, legislators hit one right at the golf industry. And the sport, already facing a slowdown, is organizing quickly to dodge it.

"Believe me, if we could charge 7 percent more and do the same volume, we would already be doing it," said Ratcliffe, who is president of the N.C. Golf Course Owners Association. "The fact is that people are not going to play as much golf as they have, and that's bad for the state."

In budget talks at the legislature, the Senate has been pushing to restructure the state's tax system by broadening the sales tax base to include services. Among the services that would be taxed are "recreation and entertainment" activities such as golf, rafting trips and amusement park admissions.

"Our goal all along has been to restructure the tax system," said Sen. Dan Clodfelter, a Charlotte Democrat. "If we spread the tax rate out, we can lower it for everybody." (N&O)

Quick Hits

Submitted by ryanteaguebeckwith on May 21, 2009 - 8:41am.

* Candidates for N.C. Republican Party chair answer questions from Carolina Politics Online about what they'd do in the top job.

* Former Raleigh Mayor Tom Fetzer announces the backing of former Wake County GOP chairman David Robinson, an erstwhile competitor.

* Rudy Giuliani's son loses his lawsuit over being kicked off Duke's golf team; judge cites "Caddyshack" in legal opinion.

* Greensboro blogger Joe Guarino discovers that U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx is of Italian descent and grew up in the Bronx.

Cowell seeks $76m in state spending

Submitted by ryanteaguebeckwith on May 29, 2008 - 1:08pm.

Sen. Janet Cowell is seeking nearly $76 million in state spending.

The Democratic nominee for state treasurer has sponsored one bill and co-sponsored 24 bills seeking appropriations in the upcoming state budget.

Cowell is the primary sponsor on a bill to give $2.1 million to the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences for an environmental education facility at the Prairie Ridge Ecostation.

Among the larger appropriations bills she is cosponsoring: $25 million for a school construction pilot program, $6 million for the Communities in Schools programs on dropout prevention, $5.8 million for the Center for Bioenergy Technologies, $5.6 million for the N.C. Museum of Art, $5.6 million for dropout prevention, $5 million for a strategic plan on biofuels, $5 million for public libraries.

Other large appropriations she is cosponsoring: $4 million for a statewide study on aging, $2 million for the N.C. Arts Council, $1.6 million for a pilot program on dropout prevention in Durham and Vance counties, $1.5 million for a pilot program on adult protective services, $1.4 million for water resource management, $1.2 million for teen pregnancy prevention and $1.2 million for Wake Tech Community College.

She is also cosponsoring bills less than $1 million: Support for caregivers of people with dementia, a statewide literacy program, Kids Voting, treatment of autistic children, services for the developmentally disabled, a legal mediation network, a youth golfing program and the African-American Heritage Commission.

In addition, she is cosponsoring a bill that would give state employees a 7 percent raise.

Update: Her Republican opponent, Rep. Bill Daughtridge, is seeking $19 million in spending.

Dalton seeks $277m in state spending

Submitted by ryanteaguebeckwith on May 28, 2008 - 3:43pm.

Sen. Walter Dalton is seeking more than $277 million in state spending.

The Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor has sponsored nine bills and co-sponsored 18 bills seeking appropriations in the upcoming state budget. A longtime state senator, he is serving an advisory role on the budget in the short session.

Dalton is the primary sponsor on bills totaling $208 million: $135 million for grants for local water and sewer projects, $20 million for the N.C. Rural Economic Development Center, $16 million for stem cell research, $14 million for the Cleveland Correctional Center, $10 million to provide services for the developmentally disabled, $5.8 million to help provide high-speed Internet access, $3 million for biotechnology training, $2.5 million for construction at historically black colleges and $2 million for small business entrepeneurship initiatives.

Among the larger appropriations bills he is cosponsoring: $44.7 million for Smart Start early childhood intiatives, $9.5 million for 4-H camps, $3 million for home foreclosure prevention, $3 million for loans for biotechnology start-ups, $1.6 million for a dropout prevention program in Durham and Vance counties, $1.4 million for water resource management and $1.25 million for biotechnology education.

He's also seeking a number of appropriations under $1 million: Teach for America, state GIS improvements, veterinary medicine teaching and research, a statewide infection control program, a literacy program, Kids Voting, a Teacher Cadet Program, an early chilhood initiative, a youth golfing program and a health information management study.

Previously: Sen. Kay Hagan seeks $48 million in state spending.

Fred Smith's house rules

Submitted by ryanteaguebeckwith on September 28, 2007 - 10:00am.

Sen. Fred Smith has some house rules in his golf tournament.

As described by a participant in the fifth annual fundraiser held Wednesday, the Clayton Republican and gubernatorial candidate likes to give a little help to each team.

On the Inner Banks Eagle, Dean Stephens described it:

While the tournament is in process Fred goes around the course and plays with each team on one hole. The Team gets to choose what help they want from Fred, driver, approach shot or putt. Fred usually gets asked to help with his drives, since he really booms them and they are always straight.

Of course, it probably helps that Smith owns the Riverwood Golf Club.