North Carolina’s State Board of Elections ruled that the North Carolina Association of Realtors did not break the law when it forced members to pay dues used to fund an anti-tax campaign, Greensboro’s News & Record newspaper reported this month.
The board dismissed a case brought against the association by Wake County Realtor Becky Harper in a 5-0 vote. Before the dismissal, however, the board instituted stronger reporting requirements for money raised and spent in support of county referendums, the paper said.
The board also said the association may have been "morally wrong" in requiring members to assess a one-time dues payment of $70 for an issues advocacy fund directed against an increase to a land transfer tax.
"I think when you deprive an individual of (the) ability to earn a living because (he or she) differ(s) with you on a political issue, that’s morally wrong," said Larry Leake, chairman of the board, after the hearing.
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