What taxes were in the 2003 budget?
The first budget partially negotiated by state Sen. Kay Hagan included $14.8 billion in spending, a $400 million increase from the previous year.
The budget will likely come up again in the U.S. Senate race, with Republican Sen. Elizabeth Dole signaling that she will attack Hagan's record.
Here's a few details from the budget that she may focus on:
Temporarily Continued: The budget continued the "temporary taxes" on sales and the wealthy first instituted during a 2001 shortfall and set to expire in 2003. The two taxes were expected to generate about $384 million.
Sin No More: Senate leaders proposed adding 25 cents in tax to a pack of cigarettes and 5 cents to a can of beer, but House leaders shot the idea down. The taxes would have raised $326 million to offset proposed education cuts.
Higher (Cost) Education: Tuition at state universities went up 5 percent, though the budget added $5.1 million in need-based financial aid. In-state community college tuition rose 3.2 percent. For out-of-state students, it was 8.2 percent.
Obviously, there's a lot more to the budget than these three items, but they're the ones easiest to explain to voters in a short attack ad.
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