The 2009 North Carolina General Assembly passed legislation that provides for a temporary additional 1% State sales and use tax effective on September 1, 2009 and will expire on July 1, 2011. The Senate Bill 202, was ratified by the House of Reps and the Senate on August 5, 2009 and has been signed by Governor Perdue. The result an additional 1% State rate increase. So I guess your right, that's why some money is being freed up. Everyone check and see how your representatives voted on this. Raising taxes now with a poor economy was insane. And they wonder why the stimulus continues to fail.