Representatives from North Carolina's rural and urban areas are divided in a debate that's extended past party lines over a proposal to give poor rural counties a larger share of sales tax revenue.
A piece of the Senate budget released last month would send less tax revenue to counties from where the sales occurred, and distribute it to counties more on a per-capita basis. The shift would occur over five years.
Rural residents like those in Caswell County near the Virginia border argue they're now at a disadvantage when their residents leave to shop in other counties. Urban leaders say sales taxes they collect maintains the infrastructure around their business communities.
The proposal will be a part of budget negotiations between the House and the Senate renewed this coming week.
