Asheville Citizen-Times from Asheville, North Carolina • Page 1

ASHEVILLE -TIMES Thursday April 23, 2009 TScwrtt VOICE OF THE MOUNTAINS CITIZEN mate Days ouHax shuffle Income rates fall, services hit in plan WRITER'S WISDOM: Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Leonard Pitts said Americans should continue working toward a truly multicultural society, despite the election of the first black president PagaBl to 6 percent, but that new rate would also be tacked on to purchases of common services that are untaxed today. "Are they going to try to kill us, or what?" wondered James Mascari, owner of Carolina Home Exteriors in Asheville. "I'm getting ready to do a big window replacement job," for example, Mascari said. "We're talking an $89,000 job. Six percent, that's $5,340.

See, that hurts, right there." Mascari pays sales tax on his Pleas ne TAX on A4 North Carolinians would pay $265 million more in income taxes in-2oio-n, even as their rates fall by as much as three-quarters of a percentage point. Business taxes would rise by $170 million the same year, even as the corporate income tax drops to 4.5 percent from 6.9 percent, one of the highest in the Southeast. At the cash register Consumers would see the changes' effect immediately. The sales tax rate in most areas would drop from 6.75 percent other people who are in pretty much the same circumstances." That includes the consumers who do not have to pay sales tax to businesses that repair their homes, store their belongings, entertain them at an amusement park, pamper them in a spa, groom their dogs or ink their tattoos. All of those services will be taxed if the proposal by Senate Finance Committee chairmen By Jordan Schroder JSCHRADE0CirEENTIMES.COM State senators Wednesday unveiled a long list of new sources for tax revenue they want to tap to fill a gaping budget shortfall.

They said their plan would make North Carolina's taxes fairer. "We've got a tax code right now that's sort of like lightning striking," said Sen. Dan Clod-felter, a Charlotte Democrat "It hits some people, but not passes. The plan, which its authors describe as a work in progress that will need senators' input over the coming days, represents a massive overhaul of how state government's services are financed. By expanding the tax base, it would raise $L2 billion over the next two years to help fill a budget shortfall expected to top $6 billion.

It would offset some of the pain by lowering every major tax rate. EARTH DAY: IT'S ABOUT CHANGING THE WAY WE LIVE STATE INSURANCE CHANGES: Some state workers arent too happy with the sweeping changes to the health care plan approved Wednesday. Page Bl Perdue skips park anniversary opener TORTURE PROBE: Congressional Democrats pushed ahead toward investigations into the Bush administration's interrogation of terror suspects. Page AS By Jon Ostendorff ASHEVILLE North Carolina's governor won't attend the kickoff of the 75th anniversary of the nation's most popular park. Gov.

Beverly Perdue had been invited to the Gover nors Proclamation Day at Clingmans Dome in Great Smoky Mountains National CAP SCAM: A sea Timer is using Council-woman Robin Cape's e-mail list to try to trick people into sending money. PageBl Park but declined, a park spokeswoman said. ill 0 Tennessee Gov. Phil Brede ago this summer, attracts more than 9 million visitors a' year and brings in $718 million annually to communities surrounding it. The purpose of the event on Friday, according to the park service, is "to recognize the important role that local citizens and community leaders, state legislators, and governors played in establishing Great Smoky Mountains National Park and to pay tribute to the vision and sacrifice of the people of North Carolina and Tennessee." The park service invited leaders from 10 counties and 13 cities as well as tourism and conservation groups.

The park said in a statement on Wednesday that Perdue will send a representative. The governor last month spent five days traveling outside of Raleigh. She made trips to Pine-hurst, Asheville, Charlotte and Greensboro. The cost of the travel was not immediately available. The governor has a Western Residence in Asheville.

Pleas see PERDUE on A5 sen will be there, Bev Perdu the National Park Service said RUN, CHILD, RUN: Our Adventures of the Week are four 5K races and shorter family-friendly run-walks taking place this weekend. Pag B5 on Wednesday. The park straddles the North Carolina-Tennessee line. "The governor was invited and did give serious consideration, but given the length of the trip and the potential travel cost involved she declined," said Chrissy Pearson, Per-due's spokeswoman. "It is so far out of the way and we are trying to cut back on travel." The park, founded 75 years HOT SOFTBALL Pisgah and Enka rank in state Softball polls.

Pag CI SOCCER SHOWDOWN: Asheville and Enka square off. Pag CI DOW JONES: Change -83 Close 787 Economy squeezes moves by Americans PagA7 EMH8KimUfVBTHAllarat TIMES Ci Ejrtk nfM an odticator fnxa N.C. SMMrts at Evorfroo Charter School lk at a ArtarrtwiMWaAMriay. Today's forecast Sunny K07I, Lnr43 Mima, a Activism abounds in WNC Index COMICS IMNG IW tontwES MOUNTAINS MOVIE II 0W1WB B-l OPINION HIZZIES CT srans cm. tween states have dropped 36 percent since 2005 to about 4.7 million, reflecting the housing downturn.

William Frey, a demographer at Brookings Institution, said declining U.S. migration to residential magnets in the suburbs and exurbs, and particularly in the Sunbelt, were driving the low moving rates overall. "It's a combination of the inability to buy or sell homes, locally, as well as a drying up of jobs particularly in hot housing markets," he said. The demographic numbers highlight the task ahead for the bureau, which is gearing up for next year's decennial head count that will be used to apportion House seats. Minorities and poor people were more likely to move than whites, according to the data.

Immigrants increasingly headed to dense urban areas rather than the wide-open suburbs compared with years past, underscoring government concerns that these groups will prove difficult to count. By Hop Ym THE ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON The number of Americans who moved declined sharply last year, reaching the lowest percentage in 60 years as people grappled with fewer jobs and tighter credit. Roughly n.9 percent of the nation's population or 35.2 million people moved to a new home, down from 13.2 percent the previous year, according to census data released Wednesday. It was the sharpest percentage drop in U.S. mobility since the 2000 bursting of the tech bubble, which bankrupted many Internet startups and caused the dwindling of stock portfolios.

The levels of people moving have been declining for decades, more recently because of an aging boomer population that is less mobile, since hitting a peak of 21 percent in 195L But the rate had generally leveled off at around 13-14 percent before last year's decrease. Longer-distance moves be By Alexandra Morris AM0RRtSOGANNETT.COM ASHEVILLE Throughout Asheville on Wednesday, activists and just plain folks set out to change how people in Western North Carolina live. Many activities were designed to make the point that Earth Day is not just about picking up litter once a year and vowing to buy more organic vegetables. It's about supporting the local economy and managing limited resources with responsible living. At the French Broad Food Co-op, employees, owners and local farmers gathered outside on the sunny, windy day to give out free samples and remind shoppers of three things in particular, organic, local and bulk foods.

"We are trying to educate people that this is a store committed not just to making money, it is committed to community and the environment" said Kelly Fain, co-op marketing manager. At the co-op and across Western North Carolina on Wednesday, hundreds of farmers, entrepreneurs, parents, children, college students, professional ecologists, neighbors and even dogs ventured out into WEB EXTRA 4 Visit Crnnx-TMESM for a photo gallery of('; Earth Day the sunshine to take part in the 39-year old environmental-consciousness day. They celebrated Earth at schools, picked metal out of a ditch, and made rain-barrels at the same time they supported small businesses and urged present-day prudence to improve the future. At the French Broad co-op, more than 850 owners support the business by buying small equity stakes, shopping there and sharing in any profit These are the people that live here, so much of the money stays in the community rather than going to corporate headquarters somewhere," Fain said. Local farmers, in the co-op's first tailgate market of the season, offered everything from local herbs to shiitake mushrooms.

The Mate Factor provided samples of its stimulating organic drink, and there was free popcorn for all. Plots to EARTH on AS Ill 4090112200 'AGUMETTNMSWBt VOL 140 m. 113 26wt 02009 QUESTIONS ABOUT CtRCULATION? Cll(8N) (72-2472 Pl MEREST I'M.