Greensboro News and Record

Every lottery ticket sold in North Carolina will carry a hidden tax.

Well, it's not really hidden. Judge Henry Hight just can't seem to see it. He couldn't miss it if he followed the money. But that task should be given to the state's Supreme Court.

In Wake County Superior Court on Tuesday, Hight dismissed a lawsuit claiming the General Assembly violated constitutional requirements with its hurry-up approval of lottery legislation last year. The constitution says revenue bills must be read three times on separate days. House and Senate leaders, fearful of losing support, put the measure on a fast track, with second and third readings on a single day.

No matter, the state said in defending the lottery against plaintiffs represented by the N.C. Institute for Constitutional Law. The lottery bill wasn't a revenue bill because lottery tickets aren't taxes. Read More

Read the Winston-Salem Journal's Editorial: Call a Tax a Tax click here