“District 7 needs more roads, less crime, and affordable taxes.”

Budget Focus Area

Summary: “Affordable taxes”

It is an unfortunate reality that the one general tax over which the City Council has direct control is also the harshest and generally most hated: the property tax. In addition, the people of Charlotte have seen five property tax rate increases by the Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners over the past ten years, whereas the city rate has increased only once in that time.

Though Charlotte has many needs, we cannot afford to drive people out of the city due to a high property tax rate. Warren Cooksey supports focusing our spending on our core needs. He does not support attempts to increase revenue by taxing fewer people, which is the practical effect of impact fees and transfer taxes. As the Republican budget of 2007 showed, we can meet the needs of Charlotte without raising the property tax rate. The key is to focus on our priorities.