More NC companies behind on unemployment tax

CHARLOTTE -- North Carolina companies are falling behind on paying unemployment insurance taxes, meaning laid-off employees are waiting longer for unemployment checks or not getting them at all. The Charlotte Observer reported Friday that more than 11,300 businesses statewide were delinquent as of the end of the June, owing $13.5 million. That's about 6 percent of the businesses that contribute the payroll taxes that fund jobless benefits. The delinquency also affects the North Carolina Employment Security Commission, which must borrow more from the federal government. North Carolina's unemployment rate in July was 11 percent, the sixth consecutive month the number hovered above the previous historic high. Before this year, the state's highest unemployment rate was 9.7 percent in March 1983. (Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)