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Whether it’s tax, regulatory, or education policy, North Carolina has served as a national model for pro-growth policy reform in recent years. That’s why it was surprising to many when Republicans who control the North Carolina House Finance Committee voted on Wednesday to reject much needed business tax relief included in a bill that already passed out of the Senate.

That’s not the only bad thing that happened in the North Carolina House Finance Committee on Wednesday morning. In addition to removing the franchise tax cut from SB 578, House Finance Committee members also voted to drastically hike the state tax on electronic cigarettes and vape products. That tax hike was approved as an amendment to SB 557, a Senate-approved bill that raises the standard deduction. 

“It was not surprising to see Nancy Pelosi’s left-wing caucus advance a vape tax hike on Capitol Hill last week, but it was shocking to see North Carolina Republicans follow the lead of Washington Democrats by approving their own vape tax hike this week,” said Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform. “I encourage Speaker Tim Moore and members of his caucus to undo the damage done by the House Finance Committee by restoring the franchise tax cut and removing the vape tax hike.”

The vape tax hike approved by the House Finance Committee today, should it even be taken up and approved by the full House, is already reported to be dead on arrival in the North Carolina Senate. That’s good news for North Carolina taxpayers.