Hey, John,

So, the other week, I got my hands on a book of maps and charts showing off county-by-county economic data for our state.

I’d been wanting one of these for a while, because, to be honest, John, I can beat the drum about the ways that our communities are getting left behind all I want, but hard numbers are much harder to argue with.

I was especially interested in this table showing off how much tax the state levies on our counties per capita, because despite aggressive “tax cuts” from the Republicans in the General Assembly, between 2021-2022 and 2022-2023, 93 of our counties saw their tax levy per capita increase.

That’s right. While taxes may have fallen at the state level, most North Carolinians are paying more on their county and local taxes—and for a lot of them, it’s canceling out the difference. As it turns out, when you make massive cuts to things that people can’t do without—like education funding—it doesn’t actually change how much money needs to be spent on it. It just passes the burden onto our counties.

The result is that not only do North Carolinians still have to pick up the tab, but the burden no longer gets distributed equally. If you look at the chart, you can see that the biggest losers from Republican tax policies aren’t our deep blue urban counties. They’re little, rural places like Hyde and Dare and Avery and Transylvania out in the far east and west.

That just isn’t fair, and over time, this kind of inequality will become a vehicle for resentment, creating another wedge that will drive our urban and rural communities further and further apart.

It’s short-sighted planning, and it isn’t sustainable. We need leadership in North Carolina that’s actually concerned with what the effects of the policy we pass today will be ten years down the road. We need leadership who will work to bring us closer together instead of pushing us apart.

I can’t make that change on my own, but this campaign can be the first pebble that turns into a landslide. We can be the start of a culture shift among our leaders. Because what we’re doing here isn’t like what any other campaign is doing, and if we win next year, people are going to sit up and take notice.

If we do win, though, it’ll only be because supporters like you stepped up to help fund this campaign. It’ll only be because we were able to get our message—our winning message—out to every voter. Not just in the places where Democrats usually compete, but the Hydes and Transylvanias of the world as well. I know I ask a lot of you, but can I please ask you to step up once again and make a contribution to our campaign today?

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If we win next year, we can return better value for our state’s employees by making better choices with how we invest the pension fund. We can show our state what it looks like when the Local Government Commission isn’t a barrier to smart infrastructure that connects our communities. We can make an investment in our greatest asset—our people—and start building opportunities for every North Carolinian again.

I’m so proud to have you on that journey with me, and I know that together we can get it done.

Thanks as always,
Wesley Harris

Wesley Harris is a North Carolina native and the only PhD economist in the General Assembly. First elected in 2018, he has been fighting hard for the residents of southern Mecklenburg County and working to make our state the best place in the country to live, work, and start a family. Now, Wesley is running for Treasurer to make an investment in our state's greatest asset, it's people. Together, Wesley believes that we can unlock our potential and build opportunity for every North Carolinian.

www.harrisfornc.com

Paid for by Wesley Harris for NC
Wesley Harris for NC
P.O. Box 77764
Charlotte, NC 28271
United States

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