Who Benefits?: How the Transit Tax Puts the Weight on Working Families
Politicians and business elites love to tell us this new sales tax is “just a penny.” But let’s talk about what that penny really means. This so-called 1% increase would raise Charlotte’s sales tax rate to 8.25%; a 14% jump overall and a tripling of the current transportation tax.
If you’re a CEO sipping lattes in a South End high-rise, maybe that feels like pocket change. But if you’re a working-class family already deciding whether to fill the gas tank or buy everyday essentials, those pennies stack up.
85,800 Pennies Per Year
And where does it hit hardest? On the essentials:
- School supplies for your kids
- Diapers and baby formula
- Hygiene products and non-prescription medicine
- Children’s clothing
- Family dinners out, birthdays, and holidays
Christmas gifts? $120 more a year
Eating out occasionally? Another $120
And don’t forget, teachers and parents are footing the bill for classrooms out of pocket. This tax adds insult to injury.
Who Benefits?
Not the bus riders in West Charlotte still waiting for the bus in the rain.
Not the families in South Charlotte who have to work two jobs just to stay afloat.
No, the real winners are downtown developers and corporate headquarters, who:
- Get walkable access
- See their property values rise
- Receive public subsidies to attract a shiny new workforce
It’s a trickle-up tax. They make the promises, and you pay the bill.
No Voice, No Relief
The most offensive part? The communities bearing the cost had no real seat at the table when this was planned. The proposed routes won’t even reach many of our neighborhoods. And still, we’re told to “do our part” for “the future.”
But whose future are we funding?
Because when we hear polished politicians say, “This time it will be different,” we know better. We've heard that before. And every time, it ends the same way:
- The skyline gets shinier.
- The developers grow wealthier.
- And the working class is left holding the bag.
Charlotte Can Do Better
We need transit. No doubt.
But we need it built with us, not on our backs.
Not with rushed plans.
Not with vague answers.
Not with taxes that punish the people who can least afford it.
Let’s stand up and say NO to this tax.
Let’s demand a transit plan that serves everyone, not just the elite few already sitting pretty in Uptown.
Because it’s not “just a penny.” It’s your livelihood. Your kids’ clothes. Your future.