Robin Hood in Reverse

Published May 23, 2013

By Brad Crone

By Brad Crone

There’s no doubt that Senator Berger’s tax reform plan is an attention getter.  The problem, however, is the math just doesn’t add up.  Under the GOP tax reform plan, North Carolina’s middle-class families will actually end up paying more in their state taxes while the rich and powerful will pay less.

Two major state news organizations, The News & Observer in Raleigh and WFMY TV 2 in Greensboro have recently published stories that showed middle-class families making $40K to $60K will actually pay up to $500 more a year in taxes while a married couple making $150K will get a significant tax break.

The GOP tax reform soaks the middle class while giving significant tax breaks to the high wealth earners, big business and big banks.

Average voters and average taxpayers understand the GOP tax reform plan isn’t reform – it’s a tax increase.

The GOP tax reform shifts the tax burden from those who can afford it to those who get up every morning, get their kids off to school, go to work, bust their rear-ends  -- just to make ends meet.

So how does the GOP tax reform plan reward them?

  1. It extends tax hikes to every service they use
  2. It eliminates the earned income tax credit
  3. It eliminates the mortgage interest deduction and property tax deduction
  4. It will tax Social Security benefits
  5. It will add a sales tax when you visit the doctor, but your insurance company won’t have to pay a sales tax when they remit your co-payment
  6. It will increase the sales tax on food
  7. It will add a sales tax to prescription drugs
  8. It will add a sales tax when you get your hair cut and yard cut

For the middle class in North Carolina, tax reform won’t lower your tax burden.  The fact is big business, big utilities, big banks get the tax breaks – average North Carolinians end up paying the bill.

The GOP tax reform plan is just Robin Hood in reverse.

Brad Crone is a campaign consultant and NC SPIN panelist.

May 23, 2013 at 1:26 pm
dj anderson says:

Robin Hood STOLE from the rich and gave to the poor. No one is using weapons or force to take money or hiding in the woods afterward, so I don't care for the inflammatory analogy used.

While I'm a Democrat and against this tax reform, I'm not going to play the hypocrite and pretend the Democratic Party, our party, which has been in complete power over NC for a century didn't also put burden on the poor and middle class via taxes.

Every cent of sales tax is regressive, hitting the little guy the hardest. The 3% sales tax was installed in 1935 by Democrats, increased by Democratic Governor Scott in 1971, and democrats allowed cities to double the sales tax.

So, we now become hypocrites by pointing fingers at Republicans as being the anti-Robin Hood after it was us, we Democrats who added 8 cent tax on the dollar cup of coffee I buy the fast-food-corner bum in the first place. Democrats were hardly Robin Hoods as our politicians became rich and powerful, had our roads paved, and family employed out of Raleigh.

We should be a bit humble now, realizing how little progressive action we took while in action those hundred years. How much better do we think we are?

Let's us this moment to reflect and decide on better means of taxation to propose to get back into power.

Let's do away with the sales tax altogether and other regressive taxes and fees, such as utilities getting "hook up fees" added before any product is used instead of a minimum charge. Let's do away with state withholding taxes, so those involved with civil disobedience can have some real power, and we can set an example for the federal level on giving power to the people.

In any case, let's Democrats stop pretending to be standing on higher moral ground as if we were so perfect and good. We were not and that is why we are out of power. Let's use this Republican moment to look at ourselves for what we have been. What do we want to be, to do, when next in power?

We can't imply in any way that we Democrats were "Robin Hood" when we were taking from the people with both fists while using the power of the law to do it. Who do we think we were? We can see the enemy now, and it was us. The Republicans are us, just more so.

May 24, 2013 at 10:33 am
Jim Hanrahan says:

The article is political scare tactics.

I have read the NC House tax reform bill, and the article above is simply incorrect.

1) The sales tax on food and prescription drugs is not changed in the House bill.

2) The option to use the mortgage interest deduction still exists. But it allows a higher standard deduction so even those without a mortgage (renter or retiree with house paid off) get a higher deduction.

3) It does not apply sales tax to hair cuts or lawn mowing. It does extend the sales tax base on services that include part sales (auto repair etc.)

4) I did an income tax comparison for a single person working for $50,000/yr and they save $2,300 per year on their state income tax.

Read it yourself, don't listen to political scare tactics.

http://www.ncleg.net/sessions/2013/H998/H998-CSRBx-18.pdf