It's tax season again and we're all feeling the pinch. No one likes taxes. But taxes are the way we pay for government services that we all enjoy -- like basic health care, roads and schools. So a reasonable tax burden can and does benefit all residents.

The key word is "reasonable." The North Carolina tax burden has grown a lot over the last 20 years, from about 9.3 percent to 10.5 percent in 2006. That may not seem like much, but the annual tax burden is now $1.5 billion higher than it was in 1991.

North Carolina's tax rates on individual and corporate income are the highest in the Southeast, and the ninth highest in the nation. We pay more than Georgia, South Carolina, Florida, Virginia and Tennessee in combined state and local taxes.

How can we attract quality jobs to our state if we tax our residents and businesses to death? The No. 1 consideration of incoming businesses is taxation.

Sure, we can offer a few high-profile companies multi million-dollar incentives, but experience proves that the best way to grow jobs is by lowering the tax burden on everyone.

I was pleased to see that State Rep. Joe Boylan has worked hard to create a level playing field for North Carolina companies. In the last legislative session, he fought for changes that would reduce the tax burden on individuals and companies, limit the growth of the state budget, and cap noneconomic damages in court cases.

We need lower taxes. We need to reign in government spending. We need common-sense solutions that will work. Let's keep Joe Boylan in the fight for North Carolina taxpayers.

Ernest J. Miller Jr.

Pinehurst