What North Carolinians Need To Know About The 2026 Tax Amendments

There are two tax-related constitutional amendments on the ballot this November – a property tax cap and an income tax cap. North Carolinians, feeling the squeeze of rising prices, start out generally supportive of these amendments – but only because they don’t immediately see any downsides. 

North Carolinians need to see that these amendments are actively harmful – and will lead to service cuts, higher sales taxes and fees, and an even greater disparity between the wealthy/corporations and the working class. 

Five Ways to Talk About the Amendments

1. Acknowledge the cost of living and voter cynicism of corrupt politicians. We must meet voters where they are – acknowledging that everything costs too much and that we should be doing something to address that. From there, we can feed into existing distrust with corrupt politicians, and plant a seed of doubt about what politicians are really trying to do with this amendment (appease their corporate/wealthy donors). 

Example: Everything costs too much, which is why we should be focused on raising wages and lowering the price of healthcare and housing. But instead of doing that, politicians in Raleigh have put two amendments on the ballot that amount to a giant corporate giveaway – and we will all end up paying for it. 

2. Highlight the real harm the amendments do. North Carolinians intuitively understand that there are trade-offs with everything, we just have to spell them out. We need to highlight that less revenue for education, healthcare, public safety, and more means shuttered hospitals and schools, longer emergency response times, and fewer parks and public services. What’s more, politicians are likely to make up the difference elsewhere – including by raising taxes that make essentials like food and clothing more expensive. 

Example: Our communities are already struggling with hospital closures, school consolidation, and shuttered main streets. These amendments trade tax cuts for the wealthy for even less for us: fewer teachers, fewer doctors, fewer services, and fewer opportunities for the next generation.

3. Expose the divide between the wealthy and corporations and the working class. This is a hot topic statewide and nationally and one that helps quickly consolidate North Carolinians. Highlight that these amendments are a corporate giveaway that will chiefly benefit the likes of Duke Energy and the richest individuals in our state, all while working class folks see higher food prices and worse quality schools and healthcare. 
   
   Example: These amendments are politicians’ latest handout to wealthy individuals and corporations in our state, like Duke Energy. While Duke will get millions more in tax breaks, the rest of us will pay more in higher sales taxes, fines, and fees and see fewer teachers, doctors, and public safety officials in our communities.
   
4. Emphasize there is no magic wasteful spending that can be cut, instead working class people will feel the brunt of the effects. Supporters of the amendments have tried to make the case that North Carolinians will only see benefits from these amendments because any loss in revenue will go towards cutting spending on useless or wasteful bloat. Some North Carolinians are inclined to believe this, and we must make it clear that this is an obfuscation – less revenue means fewer teachers, shuttered hospitals, and less safe streets.
   
   Example: There is no upside to these amendments. Politicians in Raleigh are trying to scam us into accepting yet another corporate giveaway. While the rich get richer, the rest of us will see the effects in higher prices for groceries and clothing, fewer teachers and nurses, and less safe streets. We can’t afford this. 

5. Make the impacts personal – emphasizing what people might lose out on. At the end of the day, if people think these amendments will result in a net-positive OR a net-neutral for themselves and their families, they are likely to support them. We need to make the arguments as personal as possible – highlighting the schools or hospitals in their area that might be affected, talking about the dollar amounts they may pay more for in food or clothing, pointing out impacts to their jobs as teachers, cops, or firefighters, etc.

Example: The loss in revenue from income tax cuts alone could fund 15,000 teacher salaries or an 11 percent increase in teacher pay, helping bring North Carolina up from below the national average in teacher pay. The consequences of these amendments aren’t abstract, we will all feel them at our jobs, while shopping for essentials, and when we take our kids to schools, parks, and doctor’s appointments. 

More information and messaging recommendations are available here.