Thompson Refutes Democrat Claim On Mecklenburg Tax Burden

Candidate Calls On At-Large Incumbents To Come Clean With Their Plans For 2011

Charlotte, NC – Corey Thompson, Republican candidate for Mecklenburg County Commissioner At-Large, released a statement Friday afternoon refuting Board Chairman Jennifer Roberts’ claim that Mecklenburg County is not the highest taxed county in North Carolina. The back-and-forth dispute between Roberts and Thompson first erupted during a taped debate hosted by “Speak Out Charlotte” back on September 27^th. During the debate, Thompson stated “Mecklenburg County is the highest taxed county, in the highest taxed state, in the south.” Roberts immediately went on the defensive, pulling out a chart showing that Mecklenburg’s property tax rate is lower than a handful of counties across the state.

However, Thompson argues that Roberts and the incumbent Democrats are spinning their words to reflect property tax rates only. Instead, Thompson contends that when combining property tax rates, sales taxes, and the numerous additional usage fees imposed on residents and businesses, Mecklenburg’s status quickly rises to the top of the list. Only Dare County, a coastal vacation destination with a population under 30,000, actually outranks Mecklenburg when the additional taxes and fees are introduced.  Additionally, the high property values of the coastal homes in Dare skew the numbers even further. Therefore, per capita, Mecklenburg County is indeed the highest taxed county in North Carolina.

Thompson has run on a platform of cutting taxes on residents and businesses alike. However, his Democratic opponents have been quick to label him as “irresponsible” for telling potential voters what he intends to do once elected. In recent community forums, Board Vice-Chairman Harold Cogdell has stated that it is “irresponsible for any candidate to say what they will, or will not, do nine months before a new budget is proposed.”  When asked about these statements Friday, Thompson replied, “ I believe it’s more irresponsible for a candidate to not be upfront with the public about what they intend to do if elected.” He continued, “The people of Mecklenburg want to know where the candidates stand on the tough issues, and they have the right to know just that before they vote on November 2^nd.”

Thompson expressed even more concern when he pointed to Chairman Roberts’ campaign literature and her claims of how the free market economic system is failing. Thompson stated, “It’s alarming that our Board Chairman is publishing campaign literature aimed at what she perceives as the ‘moral failings’ of our fundamental economic system of free enterprise and Capitalism. I find it ironic that Chairman Roberts, who has often defended the compensation and bonus packages for County Manager Harry Jones on the basis of ‘competition’ and a ‘free market,’ would denounce such a system to win over potential constituents.”

(A copy of the campaign literature in question are attached).