New North Carolina Laws For 2023

With the new year comes a batch of new laws. According to CBS17,  some may go unnoticed, and a few could have more measurable impacts.

For the tax year 2022, the North Carolina individual income tax rate was 4.99 percent. In 2023, that will drop to 4.75 percent. It won’t be the last drop in income tax rates. By 2026, the individual income tax rate is scheduled to drop to 3.99 percent.

The schedule for rate decreases was approved by lawmakers in the 2021 legislative session.

Gas could cost you more in 2023. NC’s fuel tax is scheduled to increase from 38.5 cents to 40.5 cents per gallon. The North Carolina Department of Revenue reports that fuel tax increase is calculated by taking into account population change and inflation. The inspection tax will remain the same at .0025 cents per gallon. The federal gas tax is currently 18.4 cents per gallon.

While several parts of Senate Bill 300, a wide-ranging criminal justice reform bill, have already gone into effect. One more portion of the North Carolina bill goes into effect on Jan. 1. The bill includes, increasing the punishment for ‘riot offenses’, and mandatory training for officers on topics ranging from mental health for officers to implicit bias and duty to intervene and report in cases of excessive force.

Effective Jan. 1, law enforcement agencies will be required to conduct more intensive criminal background checks for people applying for positions in law enforcement. Agencies will be required to submit applications and fingerprints of the applicants to the State Bureau of Investigation for a statewide criminal history check. A national criminal background check must then be run by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.