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RALEIGH – The Together North Carolina Coalition rallied downtown Tuesday to send a message to state lawmakers that they need to stop making cuts and start thinking about raising taxes.

Around 80 groups are part of Together NC. Their message to lawmakers is that budget cuts can't be the only method used to fix the $4.6 billion gap.

"Absent a balanced approached, hardships will intensify, recovery will be delayed, and long-term competitiveness will be impaired," says John Quinterno, with the N.C. Justice Center.

They say new revenues also need to be found.

"This one-sided approach isn't going to work, and is going to set back decades of progress," says George Reed, with N.C. Council of Churches.

But some lawmakers disagree with this argument.

"When they talk about slashing spending back to the Stone Age, what they are really talking about is slashing spending back to 2006," House minority leader Rep. Paul Stam said. "We just need to put it in perspective."

House budget writers are expected to complete their work and vote on their budget by the end of next week. Then the House and Senate will negotiate a final spending plan.