Letter: Locals do pay for school operations

ACT 388 is a godsend for Beaufort County full-time residents who own property. Many are retired and living on fixed incomes. Passed in 2006, the act added another 1 percent to the state sales tax to fund school operations. Interesting how few stories in your newspaper omit that little detail. Full-time residents were then relieved of paying the school operations portion of their real estate taxes. Full-time residents are also subject to the 7 percent state income tax, which happens to be the highest in the Southeast.

I’m sure a lot of Beaufort County’s population growth is due to folks fleeing high real estate taxes from Northern states. End Act 388 and watch population growth come to a halt and property values decline.

State Sen. Tom Davis wisely advocates eliminating many sales tax exemptions to make up for the shortfall from projected school operating revenue.

Beaufort County voters need to learn where their state representatives stand on Act 388. If they support ending it, they should vote them out of office. As for non-resident property owners, stop the bellyaching. Just move down here full-time, pay the extra sales and income taxes, and problem solved.

This story was originally published May 24, 2016 at 4:39 PM with the headline "Letter: Locals do pay for school operations."