NORTH CHARLESTON -- Hundreds of people packed into a conference room Thursday night to ask state senators for an overhaul of South Carolina's property tax system.

Dozens of speakers made various suggestions for changes. Some people advocated abolishing all property taxes and increasing the state sales tax, while others pushed for smaller moves, such as state limits on local property tax rates.

The meeting, which drew about 300 people to Trident Technical College, was the first in a series of public hearings that will be held by a special Senate committee investigating property taxes.

"This is not a study committee to study the problem," said Sen. Glenn McConnell, R-Charleston. "This is a study committee to solve the problem."

Later this month, the committee will meet in Edgefield, Greenville, Marion and Lancaster.

The state House of Representatives also recently created its own special committee to study the issue. Eventually lawmakers hope to have a consensus agreement that can be approved during the legislative session that begins in January.

"The American dream of owning your own home has been turned into a nightmare for many of us," said Don Bowen of Anderson.

Several people told the committee to scrap property taxes for school operations and raise the statewide sales tax.

"School funding must become a statewide issue," said Bill Otis, mayor of Pawleys Island.

Some people said if property taxes aren't abolished, assessments should at least be frozen at the purchase price and changed only when a property is sold.

Property taxes are unfair to everyone in the entire country, some people said. "You simply rent it from the government," said David Cannon, president of the Edisto Beach Property Owners Association. "That doesn't sound like the American dream or the American way."

Hilton Head Island Mayor Pro Tem Ken Heitzke told the committee that state officials shouldn't just change property taxes, but must take a look at complete and comprehensive tax reform, including sales and income taxes.

Bill McDaniel, who grew up in Charleston and now lives in Spartanburg, told the committee he wants South Carolina to be at the top of national rankings instead of consistently being 49th or 50th among the states.

"People move places because the weather is good and the cost of living is cheap," he said.

Especially since tourism is such a major industry in the state, visitors would pay a big chunk of the sales tax, he said.

Otis Engleman, a doctor from Summerville, told the committee he wanted to eliminate property taxes. He said he could accept a higher income tax because it wouldn't hurt people who can't afford to pay it.

The graduated income tax, he said, would "protect those who are least able to afford it."