Tax Day marked by wrestlers, advocates for working families at NC legislature (audio postcard)

It’s easy to forget about your taxes once you drop that return in the mail, but North Carolina’s AFL-CIO is hoping people will remember this Tax Day and will pay closer attention to the shifting tax policy in Raleigh.

To help make a lasting impression, the AFL-CIO  staged a wrestling match outside the legislative building Monday with the help of the Luchadoras. The famed, masked female wrestlers – one representing the People’s Champion the other representing the Champion of the Powerful – took their brawl to Bicentennial Mall for a lunchtime spectacle.

Organizers note that with the speed of this legislative session, it’s easy to miss the winners and losers outside the ring.

Last month, Gov. Pat McCrory signed legislation that ends the state’s Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), which was claimed by nearly 907,000 low-income North Carolinians in 2011. This month, Senate Republicans are rolling out a plan to drop the state’s corporate income tax to the lowest in the Southeast, leaving North Carolina with less revenue to invest in education and other vital services.

“It’s not just about taxes, it’s about justice and fairness in all aspects of our lives,”said MaryBe McMillan of the NC State AFL-CIO. “It’s about good public schools, clean air, and water, a free and open Democracy.”

And while the Champion of the Powerful got in a few good licks in Monday’s mock showdown, the People’s Champion prevailed in the end.

For highlights from the #FairFight, click below:

(Thanks to the Justice Center’s Phyllis Nunn for photos from Monday’s #FairFight.)