AFP ads to tout impact of NC tax reform

The campaign, which AFP officials announced in a news conference Tuesday morning, includes a television ad that will run for three weeks across the state, as well as radio ads and town hall events statewide.

Officials would not disclose the cost of the campaign, which is funded by AFP Foundation.

John Dudley, AFP’s state director in North Carolina, said the campaign highlights the benefits of the tax reform, including a dip in state unemployment rates, which have slipped beneath the national average.

Dudley said the overhaul slashes rates for all taxpayers and trades an outdated, complex tax code for a simplified system.

“These changes have helped improve the overall economic climate for North Carolina, but we believe that these successes in large part have gone unnoticed,” Dudley said.

He said the tax reform has made North Carolina more friendly to businesses and to workers.

“This year, their paycheck is bigger because of the actions taken by the governor and the General Assembly last year,” Dudley said.

The TV ad focuses on the state’s lower jobless rate, but as the state economy continues to lag, questions remain as to how the long-term unemployed -- those who have been out of work for a long time and have given up the job search -- are counted within that total.

“The labor force is smaller, so they’re basically determining the percentage of a smaller base,” said Senate Minority Leader Dan Blue, D-Wake.