Gov. Beverly Perdue is expected to propose sin tax hikes.
A budget slated to be presented to the public today is expected to include a $1-per-pack increase in the cigarette tax and a 5 percent tax on alcoholic beverages.
The tobacco tax increase would come on top of a 62-cent increase in the federal tax. The alcohol tax would apply to drinks at a bar and from bottles and cans bought in stores.
The two taxes would help generate more than $400 million for the state budget.
Senate leader Marc Basnight has previously said he supports both increases.
Perdue is also expected to propose a variety of spending cuts to meet a $3 billion revenue shortfall in the next year's budget. (N&O)
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Re: Cigarettes, alcohol to be taxed more?
I recognize the fact that taxes must go up but I hope that the increased taxes on cigarettes and alcohol do not cause a drop in education funding. Many of us rednecks take the change from our cigarette and beer purchases and invest that money in North Carolina's public education......by buying however many lottery tickets we can with the change.
But education means so much to us that we'll manage to continue our committment to education and keep right on buying those lottery tickets. We'll just have to cut somewhere else.....the baby shoes maybe.