North Carolina is one of 13 states in which state income tax forms ask the taxpayer if the taxpayer wants to make a donation to a particular ballot-qualified party. In eleven of those states, all ballot-qualified parties are listed on the form. But in North Carolina and Ohio, there are extra qualifying rules, and only larger qualified parties are listed on the income tax form.
North Carolina law says only ballot-qualified parties that have registration of at least 1% may be on the state income tax form. No party, other than the Democratic and Republican Parties, has ever had registration this high in North Carolina. Partly this is because the state revokes all of a party’s registrants when it goes off the ballot and converts them to independents.
However, in late 2008, when the tax returns for 2008 (to be filed in 2009) were being printed, someone in North Carolina government printed the Libertarian Party as a choice on the tax forms anyway, even though the party only had registration of .06%.
The Libertarian Party recently asked if the state would honor the wishes of taxpayers who had indicated on their tax forms that the party should receive a small donation. The state first said, “No”, but then changed its mind when someone found an Attorney General’s Opinion dated June 14, 1999, saying the when the state makes a mistake like this on its state income tax forms, it should honor the taxpayers’ wishes notwithstanding the law. The state says the party will receive a check in early August. Thanks to Barbara Howe for this news.
Someone should send flowers to whoever screwed that up. 🙂
How much money are they getting?
No one (except a few state employees) know how much money is involved, but since the government says it will send the check in early August to the state party, when the check arrived, we will know.
Congrats to the NC Libertarians on the state’s wonderful mistake.
One of the reasons I joined the Libertarian Party, the reason that really convinced me that Libertarians were serious about smaller government, was that a Libertarian woman that I worked with told me that Libertarian Presidential candidates would not take matching funds from the government.
Harry Browne said he didn’t believe in welfare for individuals, corporations, or politicians. I agree with this. When Libertarians take money from the government, it becomes difficult to distinguish them from the two older parties.
Some Mormans take as much money from the government as they can get. They call it, “bleeding the beast.” I know some Libertarians agree with this line of thinking, but I don’t think highly of such activity.
I look down on welfare recipients, whether they are individuals, corporations, politicians, or political parties.
I guess the LP of North Carolina will have to decide if they want to be seen as standing up for people’s rights or as welfare recipients — just one more group on the dole.
Little late. GregD, the money came from people who chose to make a donation to the LP of NC. It is not a Government handout.