What Does $250 Mean to You? | Eastern North Carolina Now

Press Release:

    It may sound too good to be true, but you soon may be getting a check in the mail from the state for up to $250.

    Last week, we introduced the Taxpayer Refund Act which if passed will ensure every taxpayer in the state receives a check in the amount they paid in state taxes, up to a maximum of $125 for an individual or $250 for a couple.

    You may be asking yourself, "How is the state able to do this?"

    We are able to do this because the responsible economic policies and historic tax reforms enacted by Republicans in the General Assembly over the past five years resulted in the state collecting almost $900 million more than expected last year.

    In my experience, you spend your money a lot better than the government spends your money, and we have this surplus because you, the people of the North Carolina, sent more to the state than we budgeted for. This money doesn't belong to the government, it belongs to you, so it seems to me that the most appropriate thing to do with this extra money is to send it back to all the folks that earned it.

    Democrats would like nothing more than to keep your money and pour it back into the inefficient bureaucracy of government programming which is why they instantly pushed back against this idea, arguing that we should use extra money for extra government.

    However, the General Assembly already passed a budget that commits billions of dollars to education and other important priorities that Governor Cooper continues to hold hostage due to his insistence on expanding Medicaid as a condition to sign any budget.

    Rather than having this money just sit in the state's bank account as this budget stalemate drags on, it makes more sense to give it back to the people that sent it to us.

    Some people have argued that $250 isn't enough money to make a difference, and to them I say tell that to the families that are living paycheck-to-paycheck and struggling to make ends meet. It could mean money for a rent payment, or to pay for an unexpected car expense, or to put presents for their kids under the Christmas tree that they otherwise would not be able to afford.

    The fact is, this money will mean a lot to many hardworking families all across our state.

    What does $250 mean to you?

    Senator Phil Berger
    http://www.philberger.org/