Group says cuts alone to NC budget would devastate

RALEIGH — More than 80 nonprofit organizations and service providers want North Carolina lawmakers to raise additional revenue to ease the pain of potential budget cuts the next two years.

The coalition called “Together NC” scheduled a news conference Tuesday in front of the Legislative Building as House members move closer to assembling a state government spending plan.

House budget-writers are looking at cuts deeper than the Senate and Gov. Beverly Perdue offered in their spending proposals because state revenues have dropped dramatically in recent months. The budget gap for next year is at least $1.5 billion wider.

Together NC says closing that gap with spending cuts only would hurt low-income families and that a tax increase would protect them.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)