House Democrats want to extend taxes

RALEIGH (AP) - House Democrats would extend two “temporary” taxes set to expire and create a tax credit for low-income working people, according to budget documents released yesterday.

The General Assembly last year began phasing out the two taxes originally approved in 2001 - an extra half penny on the sales tax and a boost in the income-tax bracket for the state’s highest wage earners.

But the House plan would stop the phase-out projected to be completed this year and keep the taxes on the books another two years. House Democrats have said that they want to use the money from the taxes - expected to be more than $300 million for the fiscal year starting July 1 - to pay for education programs.