Taxation Without Representation
Mecklenburg led the way in defiance of the British Crown.
The spirit of the American Revolution is embodied by our Declaration of Independence which speaks of Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. But did you know this declaration was not the first act of defiance against the British Crown? It started initially over what has come to be known as taxation without representation.
On May 20, 1775, a group of fed-up Charlotteans wrote what is called the “Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence” and had it delivered by horseback to the Continental Congress in Philadelphia. In doing so, we became the first place in America to show, in writing, our desire to dissolve our political bonds from Britain. This was more than a year before Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence in July of 1776. This date is so important in our history that it is inscribed on our state flag even to this day.
Ever since then, our revolutionary spirit has seen Charlotte grow from a small crossroads of Indian Trading paths to a booming economic center, the second largest banking center in the U.S. and the largest city in North Carolina.
All these years later, in spite of our success, taxes remain a real problem for North Carolinians. Thankfully President Trump pushed through income tax reform but taxes come in many forms. Another serious form of “taxation” is called inflation.
Inflation is that economic pressure that forces prices to go up quickly and dramatically faster than wages. When this happens, each dollar you earn will buy you less and less. It reduces your purchasing power the same as if government took additional money out of your pocket through traditional taxes.
Government might not write inflation into the tax code, but as the great economist Milton Friedman said, “Inflation comes from one place and one place only… government mishandling of the economy.” The Biden administration’s enormous overspending and excessive bail-out plans have sent inflation
through the roof. This and many of their crazy liberal schemes drive up spending and make the situation worse. The tax of inflation is perhaps the most insidious of taxes because it is not codified on the books and is usually only cured by forcing interest rates high and putting the economy into a recession.
We can fix a tax problem unique to Mecklenburg County.
As citizens of Mecklenburg County, we face yet another tax challenge, but this is much easier to fix. Mecklenburg County is being ignored in the state capitol. Mecklenburg is one of 100 counties yet over 20% of NC’s annual tax revenue comes from us. How much of our taxes make it back here to Charlotte? Far less. I am in favor of reducing state taxes overall but of the taxes we pay, I will work to claw back the “fair share” of tax revenue back here to Mecklenburg County.
One reason this happens is that Mecklenburg County’s delegation to Raleigh is made up of 17 Senators and House members. 17. Only 1 is a Republican and he is in Huntersville. The other 16 represent the radical left-wing ideology of the NATIONAL Democrat party and it means they aren’t bothering to represent the people that elected them. Literally, they are supported by, and funded by radical national PACs and groups with a hardcore-liberal ideals. And the Mecklenburg delegation pushes that agenda, not that of the people of our county.
Here in Mecklenburg County, when you elect me to the NC Senate, you will be getting a senator who will actually represent his constituents, the citizens of Senate district 39. The people in office now are simply not doing that.
Mark Robeson's Position on Taxes & Spending
Mark opposes higher taxes for families and hard-working people. He believes government needs to live within its means and control spending. As our Senator, Mark will fight for lower taxes and responsible spending in Raleigh while at the same time ensuring that the largest city and the economic powerhouse of our state has a seat at the table when it comes time to plan where our state’s $26B budget is allocated. Charlotte has been ignored long enough because it continues sending a Democrat delegation to a Republican controlled legislature and it’s time to get our city back on track.
"You can't be for big taxes, big government and big bureaucracy and still be for the little guy!"
-President Ronald W. Reagan
