North Carolina has a bunch of constitutional amendments on the ballot again. And once again, they are all bad. Republicans keep trying to enshrine conservative principles in the state constitution with mixed results. This year, they might get what they want.
The worst of the amendments hampers state and local ability to raise revenue. Republicans argue that they are preventing tax hikes, but they’re really just protecting wealthy citizens from paying their fair share. They are also screwing their base again.
One amendment would cap the income tax at 3.5%. It’s already capped at 7%. Republicans want to prevent Democrats from ever again enacting a progressive tax system that would tax wealthier residents at a higher rate. If the state needs more revenue, they are trying to ensure that lower-income residents shoulder a greater burden.
Republicans have been touting their flat tax since they enacted it more than a decade ago. Since then, the tax burden has increased for the poorest North Carolinians and decreased for the wealthiest. This amendment would make the trend irreversible.
The next amendment would hamstring local governments by letting the legislature—not county or municipal elected bodies—determine property tax rates. It blatantly strips power from the government closest to the people and would make raising property taxes difficult without offering local governments any other way to bring in money. The counties that suffer most would be those with the fewest people and the smallest sales tax base. So screw you, rural North Carolina. It’s a big-government move from the party that used to argue for smaller government.
The final amendment is another voter ID amendment. This one is directed at people who vote by mail. It requires them to provide a voter ID.
I don’t really oppose most voter ID laws, but I don’t support anything Republicans are doing to elections and democracy. They’ve shown no interest in making our elections fairer and have repeatedly tried to undermine our system of elections. They are trying to use their power to restrict the franchise for anyone who might vote against them. They are an anti-democratic party, more interested in maintaining power than in protecting the rights of North Carolinians.
Right now, the polls indicate all of these amendments will pass with flying colors. I wish one of the money groups would step up to educate the public. People need to know that these amendments are not in their best interests. Somebody needs to urge them to vote no.
They pass because of the insincere wording and an uninformed electorate.
I generally take it as an article of faith that any amendment proposed by the NCGA in its current form is designed to enrich the rich and screw over the rest of us. But I was trying to come up with a way of explaining how the income tax cap would do this in a way easily digestible to the people who would need to understand it most. I’m still not sure if this would do the job, but it’s better than anything I came up with. The property tax thing is easier, since it becomes a Big government issue. As for the voter ID issue, I figure we’re gonna lose that one despite the fact that you still have to show ID when you register, and all you’re really going to accomplish by requiring a photocopy is exposing people’s personally identifying information to people who shouldn’t have it — including bad actors who’ll use it for identity theft.