The rich were already getting richer.

• Position: REGIONALREPORT Stateunde

Lawmakers were able to push tax reform through the General Assembly in 2013 because, they said, North Carolina needed lower rates to be competitive with other states. A new study suggests the state was attracting wealth under the old tax system. How Money Walks says that, based on adjusted gross income, North Carolina had the third-highest increase in net wealth among states between 1992 and 2010, bettered only by Florida and Arizona. The key to attracting wealth, the report surmises, "is a pro-growth tax policy"

$25.1 billion Net wealth gained in North Carolina between 1992 and 2010 Gained most wealth from New York $4.6 billion New Jersey $2.6 billion Virginia $2.4 billion Pennsylvania $1.8 billion California $1.7 billion Lost most wealth to South Carolina $1.2 billion Tennessee $149.6 million Colorado $33.3 million Wyoming $28.2 million Oregon $16.5 million Source: internal Revenue Service 1. Alamance $304.4 million 2. Alexander $57.2 million 3. Alleghany $37.9 million 4. Anson ($26,7) million 5. Ashe $92.8 million 6. Avery $49.3 million 7. Beaufort $173.1 million 8. Bertie ($9.9) million 9. Bladen $9.6 million 10. Brunswick $1.6 billion 11. Buncombe $1.1 billion 13. Burke $39.2 million 13. Cabarrus $1.1 billion 14. Caldwell $64 i million 15. Camden $76.2 million 16. Carteret $415.9 million 17. Caswell $20.3 million 18. Catawba $345 7 million 19. Chatham $1.1 billion 20. Cherokee $137 9 mill.on 21. Chowan $50.1 million 22. Clay $88 million 23. Cleveland $53.8 million 24. Columbus $14.7 million 25. Craven $131.6 million 26. Cumberland ($1.4) billion 27. Currituck $204.5 million 28. Dare $353.2 million 29. Davidson $302.1 million 30. Davie $284.3 million 31. Duplin $26.1 million 32. Durham ($357.8) million 33. Edgecombe ($112.5) million 34. Forsyth $104.7 million 35. Franklin $351.6 million 36. Gaston $207.6 million 37...