GOP trying to bribe taxpayers to support their bad budget

Students in most North Carolina districts are headed back to school today, but school districts still don’t know how much money to expect from the state this year because of the GOP budget standoff. Instead of using North Carolina’s $900 million budget surplus to restore public school funding and expand health care access for working families, legislative leaders are trying to bribe taxpayers into supporting their vetoed budget with a $125 tax credit. However, public school educators are urging voters not to give in to the GOP’s double-dealing.

• The GOP’s most recent budget proposal would spend 40% less on classroom supplies (adjusted for inflation/enrollment) than the state spent a decade ago. 
• NC teachers are spending on average $526 of their own money on classroom supplies. And this proposed tax rebate would give taxpayers 34 cents per day.
• Of course, this is all a moot point because the GOP budget proposal is already dead — because lawmakers don’t have the votes to override Gov. Cooper’s veto.

Misguided tax cuts for the wealthy got us into this mess — another tax break won’t get us out of it. Republicans need to stop playing political games and start doing their jobs.