Voters may not have gotten tax message loud and clear

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — There’s been a backlash since Election Night in New Hanover County, from voters who thought that passing a sales tax increase would mean no property tax increase. We’re taking a look at what the commissioners said, and why so many people feel misled.

County Commission Chair Jason Thompson said on the record he favored sales tax as the way to get revenues, because if you don’t want to pay, you don’t have to buy. But in separate interviews, he also he also told us a property tax would be necessary to balance the budget.

We talked to UNCW psychology professor Andy Jackson to find out why people heard one message, but not the other.

“We don’t tend to remember statements that involve a lot of nuance and qualifications of what people say,” Jackson said. “We remember the basic point.”

In a world of information overload, many people got the message that the sales tax would lessen the burden for property owners, but some didn’t realize property owners would be on the hook either way.