THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, March 31, 1996 TAG: 9603290318
SECTION: CAROLINA COAST PAGE: 06 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Medium: 91 lines
Recently, Cheryl L. Byrd, a candidate for Dare County commissioner, wrote a rather derogatory letter about board Chairman Bobby Owens and his suggestion that our county offer better pay supplements for its teachers.
I have not always agreed with Bobby on matters before him and have told him so, but has anyone called him or any of the commissioners expressing appreciation for the efforts they have taken?
I do not think Bobby was using county paper for a political purpose, but as a high-ranking county official was trying to convey his backing to our teachers' needs. Although this issue is one that should first come from the Board of Education, Bobby by his letter has jump started them to show support for the teachers' needs. Living in Buxton only a stone's throw from our school, I am among our teachers enough to know that dialogue between the teacher representatives and the School Board has been going on for a long while.
On Dec. 16, Mrs. Byrd stated that our teachers already get a $1,000 supplement and that Mr. Owens seeks another $1,000. I believe that she is wrong. My findings are that teachers now receive a $562 supplement, and Bobby suggests this be increased to $1,500.
Presently, Dare County ranks No. 1 in cost of living in our state. Our schools are testing in the upper 10 percent statewide, while our teachers are paid 43rd out of 119 school districts. $1,500 is the minimum supplement the county with the highest cost of living should afford its teachers. Our county would then rank 6th or 7th in the state. Yes, we live in a truly unique wonderland in Dare County, but this does not excuse our county from reaching for the best teaching professionals around and compensating them accordingly.
Frank Folb
Buxton Stop taxing food sales
No one likes to pay taxes. And we all hate the niggling notion that we might be paying more taxes than the next guy. Fairness is all. In discussing the sales tax on food, some say it's a fair tax because everyone pays it. Sounds OK. But if some people are paying a greater percentage of their income for this tax, is it fair? Let's look at it.
First, we should keep in mind that the 1992 median income in North Carolina was $20,654 for men and $10,774 for women. Not that much has changed since 1992; a quarter of the money the state collects in food taxes comes from people who make less than $20,000 per year.
Now then, let's talk numbers. If a family spends $2,106 a year for food on an income of $18,000, they've paid 16.6 percent of their income on food. A family making $60,000 a year and purchasing $3,780 worth of food, pays only 10.8 percent of their income on food. It's obvious that those in the lower income brackets are paying a larger portion of income on food and food taxes. Repealing the state portion of the food sales tax would allow everyone more disposable income for other things.
There is a belief that repeal of this tax would result in lowering the amount of state funds available to the counties. That's unlikely. But, even if it were so, the freeing up of money otherwise designated for state taxes would actually help local retailers. Money not paid in taxes would go directly into area businesses.
North Carolina first adopted a 3 percent sales tax in 1933. Remember the Depression? Even then, essential food items were exempted from the tax. Over the years, this exemption has been added, then eliminated. The latest elimination was in 1961, when the education button was pushed, even though in the final legislation the funds were not earmarked for that purpose and it went into the general fund.
A proposal to reduce the corporate income tax from 7.75 percent to 7 percent would cost the state approximately the same amount as repealing the sales tax on food by 1 percent: $85 million. A corporate income tax cut would benefit about 750 corporations, nearly three quarters of them based out of state. The food tax repeal would benefit more than 3 million families - residents of North Carolina - who pay it every week at the supermarket.
A common question asked in discussion of repeal of the food tax is, ``How can the state replace the lost funds?'' A reasonable response is, ``How did the state replace funds lost in other tax cuts?'' In recent years the General Assembly has removed the inventory tax and the intangibles tax, and has reduced the income tax; no replacement taxes were enacted.
In a 1982 letter, Gov. James B. Hunt wrote, ``It is my strong belief that once the state gets into the fiscal situation where we can afford any major tax relief, the food tax should be the first tax we repeal.''
That time is now.
Kathryne Thompson
President
League of Women Voters Dare County
Nags Head by CNB