(The Center Square) – Property taxes are a burden on household budgets, and an amendment to the state constitution requiring limits on increases by local governments would be supported, say 3 in 4 North Carolinians polled this week.
“Property taxes are out of control,” said Rep. Destin Hall, R-Caldwell, the speaker of the state House of Representatives.
The survey from the Carolina Journal through Harper Polling released Thursday was conducted Sunday and Monday among 600 likely voters and carries a +/- 4% margin of error.
On Wednesday of last week, the Select Committee on Property Tax Reduction and Reform lent support for a levy limit. The discussions and deliberations continue, with another meeting of the House panel on April 15.
“Families are getting ripped off as some, but by no means all, local governments rake in billions more than inflation and population growth warrant,” Hall said in a release Thursday. “It’s time for real reform, which is why the House is pursuing solutions like levy limits to stop runaway property tax hikes and protect North Carolina taxpayers.”
In the poll, 38.1% said a major burden was borne of property taxes, and 38.7% called it a minor burden. Only 17% said it was “not a burden at all.” Support for an amendment, though yet to be created, is 73.2% with only 11.9% opposed.
“In a year when property taxes are front and center across the country, North Carolina voters are sending a clear message: rising property taxes are a burden, and they want limits,” said Donald Bryson, John Locke Foundation CEO and Carolina Journal publisher. “That’s a powerful signal for policymakers heading into the legislative session.”
In analysis led by Joseph Harris of the John Locke Foundation, the state’s largest counties have had property tax revenue at a rate higher than inflation and population growth. The 10 largest counties exceeded inflation plus population growth by more than $2.6 billion, the report said.
County property tax revenues were up 62%.
“Levy limits are not budget cuts,” said Harris, a fiscal policy analyst for the conservative-leaning think tank. “They simply place guardrails on how quickly property tax revenues can grow in the future, allowing counties to keep pace with inflation and population while preventing excessively rapid expansions in tax collections.”
