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Article published Sep 26, 2004
S.C. Senate races -- Hawkins: Property taxes are punishing our citizens

JOHN HAWKINS
District 12 incumbent,
Republican Party

One of the most critical issues facing our state is property tax reform. Families in Spartanburg are forced to pay enormous taxes to enjoy the right of owning their homes. This is wrong, and we should work to change it. That's why I've proposed a plan to eliminate property taxes by raising the sales tax by two cents on the dollar.When our forefathers founded this nation, they did so with the belief that private ownership of property is a good thing. The acquisition and ownership of property is as American as mom and apple pie. In South Carolina, our laws should encourage, not discourage, private property ownership. President Bush has outlined his vision for increasing homeownership in this country, and we should adopt laws that further that vision.Yet the property tax system in this state actually punishes home and car ownership. For many people, especially the poor and elderly who live on fixed incomes, their home is their main asset. And the annual tax bill can be devastating.My plan would capture millions of dollars in sales taxes from tourists who visit our state every year, and also from those undocumented aliens who use our government services yet pay little or nothing for them. We would then use that money to eliminate property taxes for our citizens.Achieving property tax reform won't be easy. There are a lot of vested special interests that are dead set against it. But I believe we need to restructure the way we tax in this state. Until we do, we will continue to have a system that is unfair, burdensome and punishes property ownership. It will also continue to hurt our economy.There's something else we can do to help our economy in South Carolina. Gov. Mark Sanford is right that we need to change the past spending practices of this state. When the years were good, we created new government programs that would have to be funded every year, wrongly assuming that future years would be just as good. Then, when we had the inevitable rainy day, we didn't have enough money to run our prisons or provide health care to the needy and the elderly. We should never let that happen again.I will continue to work with Gov. Sanford on passing budgets that fully fund education, especially K-12. But we should also keep insisting on accountability and excellence like that provided by many schools in this county. We should not create new programs unless there is a real need for them and we can afford them in the future. Families know better than state government how to spend their money.Finally, next year we must pass the Defense of Marriage Act, which will protect and preserve traditional marriage in this state. I will be active in this regard if I am re-elected.Yet the most important election this year is not Senate District 12. This year's presidential election will be one of the most critical in the history of this nation. I support President Bush because he has the vision, the courage and the character to lead us safely through the war on terror. He is a strong leader who will take the fight to the enemy and protect our homeland from this new kind of threat.These are some of my top priority issues. I've worked hard for the people during my eight years in the General Assembly. I respectfully ask for your support on Nov. 2.Thank you for your kind consideration. May God bless you and your family.