The big picture shows that taxation should be fair among of all businesses. Public golf courses are among many businesses that are important to a tourism- and real estate-driven economy, and there needs to be reasonable equity among them in sharing the tax burden.
Beaufort County Council and other elected bodies that would be directly impacted by the proposed new assessment standards should help guide the legislation.
Beaufort County Assessor Bernice Wright warns that the proposed state law would sharply reduce local taxes paid by public golf courses, shifting the tax burden to someone else.
The current method of taxing public golf courses definitely needs change. Each county can now choose one of three methods of assessing the value of public golf courses. A single formula should be used statewide. The bill co-sponsored by state Sen. Scott Richardson, R-Hilton Head Island, would bring that consistency.
The other thing the bill attempts to do is simplify the assessment formula. Proponents say that would help prevent long and expensive appeals when a tax assessment is disputed. Simplicity would be helpful. But the proposed formula includes a golf course's gross income, a figure that is sometimes disputed now and would likely be disputed in the future.
The bill would also give what advocates call much-needed tax relief to golf courses.
Wright cited one example of the impact of the proposed legislation. She said the county tax burden for a Hilton Head Island golf course would be reduced from $105,930 to $35,932.
Local policy makers need to know how much the proposed legislation would reduce local tax revenue. They need to decide whether that would be fair and consistent not only to golf courses, but to all taxpayers.