A voting majority of Greenville County Council has made it clear that they will vote June 3, 2014, to place a $678 million sales tax increase referendum on the ballot in November. Council voted seven to three in favor of the referendum on 2nd reading. There is no reason to believe the vote will change.
Advocates of the sales tax increase have developed their strategy over many months. They are well-organized, well-financed and have hired professionals to market the plan to voters. The promoters have earned the unenviable label “sales tax pimps” from tax increase opponents who resent the methods being used to redistribute wealth from taxpayers to special interest projects, using as an excuse a need to repair state highways rather than insisting that the state use road tax money to repair their highways.
The proponents of the sales tax increase will spend thousands of dollars promoting passage of the referendum. Voters are mostly unorganized and uninformed and will be vulnerable to misleading promotional information.
Last week, the Upstate Coordinator for Americans For Prosperity, backed by the State Director, weighed in on behalf of the taxpayers of Greenville County. A group of volunteers for AFP held a news conference in front of Greenville County Square prior to the council meeting and several spoke in opposition to the referendum before council.
The third and final reading of the sales tax referendum proposal will be held immediately following a thirty minute public hearing at 6 p.m., Tuesday, June 3 in council chambers. The Greenville County School Board will be holding a public hearing and final vote on their budget and probable tax increase at the same time. Citizens may sign up to speak at either event.
