UNC-TV Hosts Speaker Moore to Discuss COVID-19 Response, Tax and Budget Implications on “Front Row”

Raleigh, N.C. – State House Speaker Tim Moore (R-Cleveland) appeared on UNC-TV’s ‘Front Row with Marc Rotterman’ this week to detail North Carolina’s bipartisan response to the COVID-19 crisis.

Speaker Moore predicted that despite large savings in North Carolina’s rainy day reserve and unemployment fund, dramatically reduced tax collections combined with a sharp increase in demand for government services would put enormous pressure on the state budget.

“As long as we’re dealing with this, revenue is doing to be down,” Speaker Moore emphasized Monday, predicting both personal income and sales tax collections would decrease dramatically in upcoming financial reports.

“While individuals, businesses, families, are having to accommodate and learn how they’re going to have to get by on less money in a lot of cases, so too are we in government.” 

Speaker Moore said business closures were bringing financial devastation to North Carolina families and state leaders should “minimize the impact as much as possible to our state’s economy.”

“Most of these businesses are small businesses, they’re not large chains or corporations, these are North Carolinians here in our state who own these businesses,” Speaker Moore said. 

Speaker Moore said North Carolina’s current stay at home order was “nuanced” and “allows people to take care of what they need to,” but said preventing a public health disaster remained the state’s the top priority.

“We know that restaurants, hotels, people in personal care services, these folks are taking it very hard,” Speaker Moore said Monday. 

“While we understand the need to restrict that activity so that the public is protected, we also know these businesses face some very unique challenges. “

“We know it is an unfortunate necessity right now, because we don’t need this virus to expand. W e don’t need our emergency rooms and medical facilities overrun.  We need to make sure demand does not exceed what we have capacity for.”

Speaker Moore said the state House’s bipartisan task force on COVID-19 would continue to meet remotely this week. 

Speaker Moore said he appointed Democratic and Republican co-chairs, “to draw from the expertise of members from around the state to be able to offer that input and advice that would be helpful not only to our branch of government, but to the Governor and the executive branch.”