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Senate Lawmakers Postpone Final Vote On Tax Plan

State Senator Phil Berger
Dave DeWitt
/
WUNC
Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger

State legislators have delayed a final vote on a bill that seeks to change North Carolina's tax code.

House Bill 998 was on the Senate's calendar today for a final vote, but Senate Leader Phil Berger said that was being postponed.

"I move that House Bill 998 be taken off the calendar today. We are presently talking with members of the House and with the governor about some modifications to that bill, and we are hopeful that we will be able to reach some accommodations," said Berger.

The Senate plan would lower personal and corporate income taxes. A previous plan sponsored by Senator Bob Rucho would have greatly enlarged sales taxes on a wide range of services, but that proposal was scrapped in favor of another that more closely resembles the House's plan. Legislative leaders seem to want to avoid a lengthy conference committee process that would be required if both chamber's bills aren't identical.

Senate leaders say the newer plan will help boost the economy, but critics say it won't accomplish true tax reform because it doesn't make wide changes to the sales tax code.

Jessica Jones covers both the legislature in Raleigh and politics across the state. Before her current assignment, Jessica was given the responsibility to open up WUNC's first Greensboro Bureau at the Triad Stage in 2009. She's a seasoned public radio reporter who's covered everything from education to immigration, and she's a regular contributor to NPR's news programs. Jessica started her career in journalism in Egypt, where she freelanced for international print and radio outlets. After stints in Washington, D.C. with Voice of America and NPR, Jessica joined the staff of WUNC in 1999. She is a graduate of Yale University.
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