When you go to the polls this November, the question on the ballot will look simple. It will ask whether you support raising the sales tax by “one penny.” It will sound like a modest request, a small price to pay for a big promise.
But the truth is being hidden in plain sight.
This referendum does not just raise the tax by a penny. It increases the sales tax rate by 14%. It does not simply add a new tax. It TRIPLES the already existing transportation tax. Yet you will never see that spelled out on the ballot. Commissioners themselves debated whether this math should be disclosed, and their own attorney insisted it was “not appropriate” to include.
So the very people tasked with informing the public made a deliberate choice to exclude the real numbers.
What the Ballot Won’t Tell You
- It won’t tell you that the tax is permanent, not a 30-year program with a sunset. Commissioners admitted this during their July 30th meeting; the 30-year figure is just a projection, while the tax lives on forever.
- It won’t tell you that the revenue will be carved up in a confusing 40/40/20 split, with no guarantee that promised rail lines will ever materialize. Even the commissioners struggled to explain how much money would really go to buses, roads, or trains.
- It won’t tell you what neighborhoods will actually see improvements, or which projects will be delayed, changed, or never built at all.
The Pattern of Broken Promises
Citizens are being asked to pay more year after year, but the details remain vague. We are told to trust the same system that officials themselves admit “doesn’t work.” We are told it’s just a penny, when in reality it’s a 14% increase. We are told it’s about connectivity and prosperity, when the history of transit planning in Charlotte shows otherwise; big promises, long delays, and communities left behind.
The Choice Before Us
This referendum is not just about transit. It’s about honesty, transparency, and trust. If the facts are hidden on the ballot itself, how can we expect the dollars to be handled with care once they’re collected?
Before you vote, remember: you deserve the whole truth, not a carefully worded half-truth. The public has the right to know what this tax will really cost, how long it will last, and who will benefit. Until those facts are put on the table, voters should see this referendum for what it is, taxation without representation, built on hiding the facts.