A Legislator Who Gets It

Clemmons says no to a bill that only hurts Horry

Good for S.C. Rep. Alan Clemmons, R-Myrtle Beach, for opposing the bill to raise the S.C. sales tax to 6 percent to pay for an education property tax break. Unlike local legislators who supported the bill, Clemmons understood that it is bad news for Horry County.

As the gentleman notes, Horry County will always send more sales tax money to Columbia than it receives back through state appropriations. That's appropriate, given the county's prosperity relative to other S.C. counties.

The only benefit Horry County gets from the tax swap, however, is that property taxes will drop on higher price homes near the ocean. Business property taxes won't go down. The cost of living for most residents will rise, as will the cost of an Horry County vacation.

If the county is going to be sending about $50 million per year in sales tax revenue to Columbia, it deserves something in return, more roads money, for instance. Clemmons did well to recognize that and express his feelings in his vote.