Why CharlotteEAST Says NO to the Sales Tax Hike
Charlotte is a city on the move, but not everyone is moving forward.
As we approach the November 2025 election, voters are being asked to approve a new 1% sales tax increase intended to fund transportation and transit-related projects. At first glance, the promise of “improved mobility” may sound appealing. But for CharlotteEAST, this proposal falls far short of being equitable, transparent, or fiscally responsible.
Let’s break down why they're AGAINST the referendum, and why this decision is rooted in both community values and lived economic reality.
1. The Promise Doesn’t Match the Price
Proponents of the sales tax hike argue that “something is better than nothing.” But when that “something” is a $20/month hit to household budgets, especially for the one-third of residents in our area who rely on food assistance, “nothing” starts to sound like a better deal than a bad one.
This tax would disproportionately impact working-class families, renters, and seniors, asking them to foot the bill for projects with no firm timeline, no binding commitments, and no mechanism for public accountability.
We’ve seen this story before. Grand promises of transit expansion and revitalization, with little to show for it. Why should we trust a plan that offers no specifics and no guarantees?
2. History Repeats Itself And CharlotteEAST Remembers
CharlotteEAST has always championed inclusive growth and regional equity. But too often, the eastern corridor is told to wait at the back of the funding line. Past referenda have come and gone, yet sidewalks, bike lanes, transit connections, and safe crossings remain inadequate or missing entirely from East Charlotte neighborhoods.
This tax package, as proposed, lacks the safeguards needed to ensure historically disinvested areas like the East Side see real, measurable benefits.
Without enforceable equity provisions or transparency tools, this becomes just another regressive tax that benefits the few at the expense of the many.
3. Regressive Taxation Hurts the People Who Can Afford It Least
Sales taxes are not progressive, they don’t scale based on income. A cashier and a CEO both pay the same rate when they buy diapers, many groceries, or a bus pass. But one of those individuals feels that cost burden a whole lot more.
This proposal would generate billions in new tax revenue, indefinitely, without requiring the wealthy or large corporations to contribute more. Meanwhile, families in East Charlotte, many of whom are already squeezed by rising rents, utility bills, and stagnant wages, are told to just “trust the process.”
CharlotteEAST doesn’t buy it.
Vote Early or on Election Day
🗳️ Vote Early: Now through November 1
🗳️ Vote on Election Day: Tuesday, November 4
“We would be ignoring history if we believed that most of these improvements will materialize… We cannot support this transit tax, nor do we accept the argument that ‘something is better than nothing’ when that ‘something’ will cost our neighbors… an average of $20 per month indefinitely for an inequitable return on investment.”