Taxpayers Stop Potential State Tax Increase

Taxpayers have stopped a potential state tax increase. Post election results show that CSE has signed pledges and commitments from a majority of members of the North Carolina House of Representatives and 18 members of the North Carolina Senate who were either re-elected or elected yesterday. This gives a clear majority of votes needed to stop any tax increase in the 2001-02 session of the North Carolina General Assembly.

Prominent leaders in both the Democrat and Republican Parties signed a pledge not to raise taxes. They include Richard Morgan, Minority Leader of the House, Patrick Ballentine, Minority Leader of the Senate, and Tony Rand, Senate Rules Committee Chairman. Also, in the North Carolina Senate, CSE Director Chuck Fuller questioned Senator Marc Basnight on June 14, 2000 during an interview on WPTF Radio. Here was his commitment regarding a potential tax increase because of the passage of the $3.1 billion bonds:

“I do not believe this does anything but help reduce the event of a tax increase by having the facilities there to educate our children in creates a better, stronger economy. So I think it’s a no-brainer to think that we have any kind of a possibility of any tax increase because of this. I think it would help reduce any kind of tax attempt.” Announcer: “You don’t think there would be a tax increase if we pass a 3.1 billion dollar bond?” Basnight: “No, I think it’s going to help the economy create more taxpayers.”

“Clearly taxpayers have stopped any effort to raise our taxes,” said Chuck Fuller. “Now we will be watching people and groups that want to raise taxes in any form and will insure a tax increase is not passed along to the taxpayers – even under some cleaver disguise.”

On June 20th this year, over 300 of our grassroots members gathered on the grounds of our State Capitol. One of the issues we discussed with our legislators was their commitment not to raise taxes. This began the grassroots efforts to get pledges signed on the tax issue. All North Carolina House and Senate members and all candidates for the North Carolina House and Senate were given a copy of the tax pledge and asked to sign it, thereby committing to the taxpayer that they will not vote for a tax increase. The pledge is to keep the burden of taxation in North Carolina no higher than its present level through the year 2002.

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