The North Carolina Budget & Tax Center just released a new issue brief looking at the state's worsening budget gap.

This budget shortfall is more than 20% of the current state budget which means that NC has the 11th largest projected budget gap for fiscal year 2009-10. This means that the NC House of Representatives, which is currently crafting its budget without any revenue enhancements, will have to reduce state spending by an unprecedented 15%.

Lawmakers should heed the lessons of the past, the approach taken by other states, and the economic research and include a well-crafted revenue package as part of the solution to the current fiscal crisis.

Click here to read the BTC Brief