Property tax reform key in next session

The time has come to end property taxes once and for all.

When the General Assembly reconvenes in January, no issue will be more pressing than the need to pass meaningful property tax reform.

Those of us living near the S.C. 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 also have 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 already have 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 August. I was pleased to be able to attend the first of these hearings recently in Charleston.

During my short service as your state senator, I already have learned of the tremendous effect 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.Tax

Reform2006.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 General Assembly, and we need to be sure that every one of them gets this message.

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, 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. My home phone number is 357-2234.