Think Tax Reform Isn’t an HIV Issue? Think Again.

original photo by justinsomina via Flickr Creative Commons

Access to health care is important for people living with HIV/AIDS - but so is having groceries, housing, childcare, and transportation. If these basic needs aren’t met, keeping up with HIV/AIDS treatment is much harder. According to the National AIDS Strategy, the best way to guess someone’s chances of getting to their doctor’s appointments and taking their medications is to know is whether they have a stable housing situation. In North Carolina’s HIV needs assessment, housing and transportation rank just below medication in the top needs for people living with HIV, and food is not far behind.

That’s why NCAAN is paying close attention to the tax reform plans currently under debate at the NC General Assembly. One Senate plan includes tax hikes on food, medication, and medical services, all of which are critical for people living with HIV. Under the House tax plan, all of us with incomes below the top 20% would pay more in taxes. The top 20% would pay less. And all three plans being discussed by lawmakers point our state in the same direction: less revenue from income taxes and more from sales taxes, which would place a heavier burden on the shoulders of lower and middle-income families.

As HIV advocates, we can’t sit idly by while elected officials take our state down a path that will make it harder for people living with HIV and communities disproportionately affected by HIV to lead healthy, productive lives. Over 5,000 people living with HIV in our state are at or below 150% of the poverty level. The AIDS Drug Assistance Program ensures they have access to medications, but they need more than medications to survive, let alone thrive. These tax proposals make it harder for people living with HIV to afford the stable life they need to stay healthy and keep up with their medical care. And these proposals put a heavy burden on communities worst hit by HIV, including rural, African American, and Latino communities across North Carolina.

Can you write a letter to the editor in your local paper about how the tax shift would affect your community? We can help! Email Claire Hermann at claire@ncaan.org.