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Time has come to end property taxes
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| By Sen. Ray
Cleary |
August
16, 2005 |
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When the Legislature reconvenes in January, no issue will be
more pressing than the need to pass meaningful property tax reform.
Those of us living near the South Carolina coast have certainly
experienced the pressures that come with skyrocketing property
values, and the accompanying rise in property taxes.
I am
committed to protecting the rights of homeowners and keeping taxes
low. In the months ahead I will be working with my constituents and
my colleagues to find a fair, efficient and expedient way to end
property taxes once and for all.
During my campaign and since
taking office, I have heard from countless of our neighbors about
the financial pressure they face in paying their rising property
taxes. Some homeowners have seen their assessments double, triple or
even quadruple in the past five years. I have also heard from senior
citizens, living on fixed incomes, who have been forced to leave
their homes because they can no longer afford their outrageous
property tax bills. As long as homeowners are forced to pay “rent”
to the government each year, no one ever truly owns their home.
Several proposals have already been put before the Senate, and
are expected to see debate early next year. These include plans for
rate reductions, property-tax caps, and the replacement of property
taxes with a sales tax.
In preparation for the upcoming
legislative session a special Senate committee on property tax
reform has been convened, and is holding public hearings on the
issue across the state during the month of August. I was pleased to
be able to attend the first of these hearings last Thursday in
Charleston.
During my short service as your state senator, I
have already learned of the tremendous impact the will of the public
has on Legislature’s resolve to get things done. Accordingly,
several of my Senate colleagues, along with Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer,
have formed a citizens group to give you a way to get involved, and
to ensure that together we make property tax reform a reality in
2006.
You can find more information on this group at
www.TaxReform 2006. org.
If you agree that property taxes should
be reduced or eliminated, I encourage you to become involved in this
effort to help reform our state’s tax policy.
There are 170
members of the state Legislature, and we need to be sure that every
one of them gets this message.
It is an honor to serve you in
Columbia, and I am grateful for your continued support. As with all
matters concerning state government, I want to hear your opinions
and suggestions concerning this issue.
You can reach me, or a
member of my staff in my Columbia office, located at 608 Gresette
Office Building, (803) 212-6032 or by fax at (803) 212-6299.
I
can be reached via e-mail at CLEARYR @scsenate.org.
As always, I
also want to supply you with my home phone number (843) 357-2234, so
that you will able to reach me easily at any time.
Please use
this information to write, call or e-mail me with your suggestions
and concerns regarding issues before the Senate and in our
community.
Sen. Cleary
represents District 34 in the S.C. Senate.
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| ©Georgetown Times 2005
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