Fact check: Are NC counties like Cabarrus raking in ‘billions’ in extra taxes?
North Carolina lawmakers are considering limits on how much local governments can grow property tax revenue as Republican leaders argue counties like Cabarrus have collected billions more than warranted.
In a post on X and Facebook last week, N.C. House Speaker Destin Hall specifically named Wake and Cabarrus as counties ripping families off as they “rake in billions more than inflation and population growth warrant” in property taxes. The figure cited in his post and a recent news release comes from a John Locke Foundation analysis that looked at property tax revenue across multiple counties over roughly a decade — not from Cabarrus County alone.
State legislators are exploring a state constitutional amendment to limit how quickly local governments can grow property tax revenue. A House select committee on Property Tax Reduction and Reform signaled support for the concept last week, though lawmakers are still working out what the policy would look like. Under the approach Hall is backing, so-called “levy limits” would cap annual growth in total property tax collections, likely tying increases to factors like inflation and population, according to a news release.
Hall’s claim accurately reflects the findings of the John Locke Foundation study he cited, which lawmakers are using to support limits on property tax growth.
What is Destin Hall’s claim?
The “billions” statistic referenced in Hall’s post reflects a hypothetical scenario in which such limits had already been in place. The analysis by the John Locke Foundation, a conservative think tank, found that across nine of North Carolina’s most populous counties, property tax collections exceeded what a levy limit would have allowed by nearly $3 billion over the past 10 years.
In Cabarrus County specifically, the analysis found a gap of about $326.6 million over that period between what the county collected and what it would have been allowed to collect under a levy limit tied to inflation and population growth. That was the most of any county in the study.
That figure is spread over a decade. On an annual basis, Cabarrus collects hundreds of millions — not billions — in property taxes. Cabarrus generated about $240.3 million in property tax revenue in fiscal year 2024 and about $275.9 million in fiscal year 2025 according to county spokesperson Dominique Clark. The county projects about $280.1 million in property tax revenue for the current fiscal year.
Much of that growth is tied to a 2024 countywide property revaluation, which increased property values by an average of 54%. In response, county commissioners lowered the tax rate from $0.74 to $0.576 per $100 of value. Even with the lower rate, overall tax revenue increased because of the higher assessed values.
Cabarrus County Republican Party Chair Jim Quick pointed to the combination of increases in property values and tax revenue growth as signs homeowners in the county are feeling effects of higher tax bills.
“This highlights the urgent need for statewide solutions to protect families from unsustainable increases while preserving essential services,” Quick said in an email to the Observer.
What’s reality for Cabarrus County?
County budget data also show recent spending growth has been concentrated in core services, including education, public safety and human services, which together accounted for about 95% of growth in the general operating fund over the past three years.
Notably, Cabarrus still faces budget pressures and a potential $67 million deficit by 2031 despite the increase in revenue.
“It is not a contradiction to suggest that Cabarrus County could be both overtaxing its citizens and spending more than it is taxing,” Demi Dowdy, the deputy chief of staff for communications and external affairs for Hall’s office said in an email to the Observer. “In fact, a levy limit would not retroactively repeal taxes or cut Cabarrus’s current budget but would limit the rate of future tax hikes.”
Cabarrus County Commissioner Ian Patrick, a Republican, said he was unable to recreate the figures cited in the study himself, but that he views rising property taxes as a real concern for residents regardless. He said he has focused on addressing what he sees as a spending issue at the county level and believes leaders are working to correct the budget deficit for 2027, though longer-term challenges remain.
“I didn’t need a study to understand that taxes are too high in Cabarrus County and that people, especially seniors and veterans on a fixed income, have watched their taxes rise to a point they are making tough decisions on whether to stay in their homes or even afford their prescriptions,” Patrick said.
This story was originally published March 24, 2026 at 5:00 AM.
