Today, Pat McCrory is participating in an Americans for Prosperity event in which he’ll tout having “signed a pledge to support spending restraint and the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights, which would limit the growth of revenue and spending to the sum of inflation plus population growth.” [News and Observer, 6/23/08] But a look at McCrory’s record in Charlotte reveals a different story – one of high taxes and high spending.

“Pat McCroy is trying to have it both ways,” said NCDP Chairman Jerry Meek. “His city has had the highest tax rate in the state for seven years running and now McCrory wants to be a fiscal conservative. That’s like drinking Slimfast and eating ribs.”

Did You Know…

The John Locke Foundation found that Charlotte had the highest per capita local tax burden in North Carolina for seven years in a row: “Charlotte continues to top the list of cities with the highest local government costs in North Carolina, according to a new report from the Raleigh-based Center for Local Innovation. Local taxes and fees totaled $2,409 per resident for the 2006 budget year. That total is more than $300 per person higher than any other large city in the Tar Heel state, according to the report. Charlotte's local tax bill increased from $2,185 per person in the 2005 budget year... The list compared the 29 municipalities with at least 25,000 residents.” [John Locke Foundation release, "Charlotte tops tax list for seventh straight year," 1/29/08]

In Fact, a Former Republican Charlotte Councilman Said: “McCrory’s Real Slick…It Takes a lot of Gall to Talk About How High Taxes Are in North Carolina When Charlotte Has the Highest Taxes in the State.” The Charlotte Business Journal reported, “‘McCrory’s real slick,’ says Don Reid, a prominent conservative Republican who served on City Council with and under McCrory during the 1990s. ‘It takes a lot of gall to talk about how high taxes are in North Carolina when Charlotte has the highest taxes in the state.’ Reid ticks off a number of specific taxes McCrory supported, including those used to fund the transit system, the NBA arena and the forthcoming NASCAR Hall of Fame and cultural arts projects.” [Charlotte Business Journal, 4/28/08]