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VIEWPOINT: Repeal the property
tax increase
Like thousands of Orangeburg
County residents, I was shocked beyond belief when I
learned that my property taxes were headed north at
supersonic rate, notwithstanding that the county
officials had tried to warn people ahead of time to get
ready for a sticker shock.
The question most
residents are asking is how there taxes jumped by as
much as 100 to 200 percent and even higher. What is very
troubling is that they set the values so high that they
know very well that no one will buy these properties at
the values they have been assessed. Most people
understand that taxes are needed to provide services
such as schools, roads, etc. In my discussion with many
residents, here are some of the reasons why they are
very upset with the tax increase.
-- We are in a
recession, notwithstanding that there are indications
that the economy is beginning to show signs that things
may be looking up. However, we are still in a
recession.
-- Orangeburg County has one of, if
not the highest, unemployment rates in the state and
perhaps the nation at a whopping 15 percent.
-- There are many people who have
been laid off from their jobs. According to figures
published in the Times and Democrat on Monday, Dec. 22,
South Carolina has lost 72,000 jobs since the year
2000.
-- There are many people who have not had
pay raises from their jobs for the last three or four
years. In some cases, people have had their salaries
cut.
-- In an attempt to give the economy a
boost, the president and Congress fought and provided a
tax cut to citizens so that they can have money to spend
to help turn the economy around.
-- Gov. Mark
Sanford is pushing to reduce the state personal income
tax rate from 7 percent to 5.9 percent.
--
Orangeburg County has one of the highest sales taxes in
the state at 6 percent.
-- There are several
people in the county, including some senior citizens,
who are on fixed income. They truly cannot afford to
spare a dime more.
With all these, why is
Orangeburg County raising property taxes at this time?
At times like this, we do not need to hold Ph.D. degrees
in economics to know that we need to hold down costs. I
know that the County will quickly point out what they
are doing with our tax dollars. That's all good.
However, at a time when people are losing their jobs,
have not had any pay increases for many years, many have
declining wages, others are on fixed income, it is
purely voodoo economics to raise taxes regardless of the
reason. This property tax increase should be
repealed.
Some would argue that state law
mandates a reassessment of property values every five
years. While that may be true, does the same law state
that taxes must be increased? By raising property taxes
without considering all these factors, the county
officials and the school board and whosoever had
anything to do with the tax increase are
saying:
-- We are going to kill the "Goose that
lays the golden egg." We are going to choke the
taxpayers to death whether they like it or
not.
-- We are not interested in helping small
businesses to survive. Let us tax them out of
existence.
-- We do not care if 15 percent of
Orangeburg County residents are unemployed.
-- We
do not care if people are on fixed income.
-- We
do not care if people have to work for some years with
reduced salaries.
Let us hit them hard with
higher taxes even if their businesses collapse, they
sell their homes and move out of town.
-- Stanley
N. Ihekweazu, Orangeburg
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