Working families, Luchadoras seek #FairFight over tax reform, sequestration

If you have ever struggled to understand how unbalanced tax policies and cuts to critical federal programs affect your community – perhaps you just needed to hear from the Luchadoras.

The masked female wrestlers – one representing the People’s Champion, and one representing the Champion of the Powerful – announced plans Monday to square off April 15th in a fight over tax fairness.

While the costumed duo prepare for their public, Tax Day showdown on Raleigh’s Bicentennial Mall, representatives from the AFL-CIO and the NC Budget & Tax Center say this is far more than a publicity stunt:

“We all want economic growth and broadly-shared prosperity across North Carolina, but that can only happen if corporations and top income earners pay their fair share in taxes,” said Allan Freyer with the NC Budget & Tax Center.  “Unless we have sufficient revenues, we’ll continue to see spending cuts that hurt working families and hurt our state’s ability to compete in the global economy.”

“We need a champion who will fight for justice and fairness, who will stand up to those in Congress who are holding the middle class hostage, who will challenge legislative leaders who want working folks to pay more so corporations can pay less,” said state AFL-CIO secretary-treasurer MaryBe McMillan.

Analysis by the NC Budget & Tax Center finds that Governor Pat McCrory’s budget proposal for FY2013-14 may invest more than last year’s budget in pure dollars, however it falls short of what is needed to maintain current service levels for several major agencies in the budget.

Advocates for workers and middle-income families hope to use the “Fair Fight” event to promote a greater awareness of the tax changes on Jones Street, and the damaging impact of the sequestration cuts in Washington.