Transfer tax holds up budget
Friday, June 29th, 2007
By Chris Fitzsimon
Lawmakers approve stopgap spending plan for a month
Dan Kane, Staff Writer A proposed 0.4 percent land transfer tax has become the latest hurdle in resolving a state budget and providing relief to rural counties struggling with rising Medicaid bills, House leaders said Thursday.
While lawmakers averted a partial government shutdown Thursday by approving a one-month stopgap spending plan, they also had high hopes they could resolve several major issues standing in the way of a $20 billion state budget. House Democrats emerged from a closed-door caucus meeting agreeing to a multi-pronged Senate proposal to fund the budget and fix the Medicaid problem — but they added one caveat.
House Democrats wanted to give counties the option to adopt by voter referendum a 0.4 percent land transfer tax as part of the Medicaid fix. The tax has been vigorously opposed by home building and real estate businesses that have launched a public relations campaign with everything from TV ads to yard signs.
Senate Democrats held their caucus shortly after they received the House Democrats’ counterproposal. They met behind closed doors for about two hours with lobbyists for the home builders and Realtors camped outside.
When Senate Democrats emerged, they would say only that they had no deal.
"We haven’t reached an agreement," said state Sen. David Hoyle, a Gaston County Democrat.
It was good news to the lobbyists.
"No decision sometimes is a victory," said Paul Wilms, a lobbyist for the N.C. Home Builders Association. (more…)
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