House Speaker Pro Tem Paul “Skip” Stam (R-Wake) issued the following news release on Wednesday. If you would like the attachments to which he refers, contact his office.
I post this release to illuminate the policy of tax reform and its impact on North Carolinians. I’ll leave the politics to others.
————————————–
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 22, 2014
Who Really Put a Heavy Tax Burden on the Poor?
Raleigh – I am first confused but then somewhat angry when I hear Senate Majority Leader Martin Nesbitt, Senate Minority Whip Josh Stein or Senator Floyd McKissick, Black Caucus Leader claim that Republican Tax Reform advantages the rich to the detriment of the poor.
Attached is the voting record of this trio for their 2009 votes to increase the state portion of the sales tax from 4.75% to 5.75% – a 16% increase amounting to almost $1 billion per year. See SB 202, 3rd reading, Section 27.A2. They will concede that the sales tax disproportionally is paid by the poor. The disabled, the unemployed, the retired and even homeless veterans pay sales tax. This was the answer of these Senators to the 2009 budget.
In 2011 these same voices called on Republicans, who were then in the majority, to keep this “temporary sales tax increase.” “It’s only a penny” they claimed. All of your readers will recall that Democratic leaders demanded this extra 16% increase in the sales tax rate. Our refusal to do so was the reason Gov. Beverly Perdue vetoed the 2011-2013 budget. We then had to override her veto. Republican Tax Reform of 2013 again refused to increase the state sales tax rate.
The refusal by the Republican Assembly to increase the sales tax rate and to continue that policy from 2011 into 2013 is part of the total tax reform package. There is not a single poor person who does not do better under the Republican plan than under the Democrats’ actions.
But these Democratic Senators think that we have a very short memory.
