A conservative taxpayer group said Thursday that implementing reassessment this year will amount to a "back door property tax increase."

Butch Taylor, a local service station owner speaking for the Greenville County Taxpayers' Association, applauded the just-passed state changes that he said do away with 50 to 60 percent of Greenville County's property tax.

But he said County Council "did not get the message," and that some members want to increase your property's assessed value and provide a "windfall" for the school district.

Council Chairman Butch Kirven said nothing could be further from the truth, and that "the longer we wait, the harder it will be on our citizens and taxpayers" when they get their bills.

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The association, represented Thursday by roughly a dozen people at County Square, wants the county to stave off reassessment until voters can decide on a November referendum that could cap increases in property values at 15 percent.

If voters approve the cap, it would make current assessed property values -- last updated in 2001 -- the baseline for the 15 percent cap, meaning tax bills would likely go up less than if reassessment were implemented this year.

John Hansley, deputy county administrator for finance, said it could end up costing residential taxpayers in the long run because reassessment is a way to redistribute the tax burden fairly among different types of property.

Since commercial property values have increased much faster than residential property values -- by 44 percent, on average -- doing reassessment this year would likely push a larger slice of the total tax burden onto commercial property owners, he said.

"It trues up the tax base," Hansley said.

Waiting until next year could limit the amount of the tax burden shouldered by commercial properties, he said. Since the county is assured of getting the same amount of tax revenue every year, residential properties could make up the difference.

When asked about the fairness issue, Taylor noted that he owns commercial property, and that the entire tax system needs "a good, thorough look."

"They're talking about evening out their income," he said. "Let's cut their income. Let's see what they can do to cut the expenses they've got."