Dear Greenville County Voters,

I recently learned that the referendum on the November 4, 2014 ballot which will ask you to raise county sales taxes by one cent, ostensibly to fund roads, will affect things very differently than you may have been lead to believe.

The ordinance, if passed, will add one cent to the sales tax for groceries, among other items. This, of course, was not how the proposal was explained when the ordinance for it was being pushed through County Council, and I hope that it would have changed some minds if it was included in the explanation. Groceries, which are currently not taxed, will be taxed if the referendum passes.

I do believe that sometimes mistakes can be made, but I find it curious that this mistake, as with most, will be detrimental to the taxpayers. Nonetheless, the “mistake” means that for some period, and perhaps a long period, Greenville County taxpayers will pay taxes on their groceries. I understand that Greenville County Council may ask Columbia to “fix” their “mistakes”. You and I both know things rarely get “fixed” in Columbia, especially when it comes to taxes. Anytime something needs to be “fixed” it usually ends up being worse for the taxpayers, and this likely will end up the same.

It is troubling that Greenville County Council mishandled the ordinance and that it allows for a tax on groceries. I had hoped that they would do the right thing and pull the ordinance from the ballot instead of just asking the voters to “trust them”. I cannot assure voters that Columbia will “fix” the problem and, indeed, Columbia could actually make it worse. However, if the voters approve this tax increase, there will be nothing to “fix” as the voters will have already spoken!

I therefore urge the voters of Greenville County to oppose the tax hike that has been sold to them as something other than what it is. Greenville County Council always can pass another ordinance that is written as it is explained and go again to the voters. This ordinance, however, purports to be something that it is not, and that simply is unfair and dishonest to the voters.

Regards,

Shane Martin
SC State Senator – District 13
Greenville, Spartanburg, and Union Counties
P.O. Box 575  Pauline, SC  29374
Cell 864-804-8499
www.SenatorMartin.com
Shane@SenatorMartin.com
Twitter: @senshanemartin

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