The ongoing topic of the town/county tax differential during the March 14 county commissioners meeting discussed hiring a consulting group to study the matter.
Considered “double-taxation of Chestertown residents who pay for local police, county sheriff, and town streets and county roads while non-municipals pay only county roads and county sheriffs services, the issue has frustrated the Town for decades,” says Michael McDowell.
McDowell, a member of the Historic District Commission who has been active in town issues, attended the March 14 Commissioners meeting and sees the idea of an outside consultant as an improvement over the decades-long denial of any tax-differential overhaul.
A frequent attendee of county commissioners meetings related to the improvement of the community, McDowell recently helped re-energize concern over the Chester River Bridge and Rt 213 traffic. He is also on the advisory board of the Citadel, the military college of South Carolina.
To date, Mayor David Foster has made multiple presentations and appeals to the commissioners.
The new slate of commissioners has signaled a willingness to look at the matter as the town awaits a commitment to finding tax equity.
The Spy recently interviewed Michael McDowell to discuss the March 14 meeting and talked about the value of having an outside consultant to study the tax differential.
This video is approximately six minutes in length.
Louis Malzone says
I attended the county commissioner meeting and am pleased that the commissioners are willing to move forward with a study albeit the responsibility for kicking off the study resides with mayor Foster. We need to realize that we are all involved in this as a team for the benefit not only of the Incorporated towns but also for the county in general. Tax equity is a fairness issue and if the commissioner stand for one principal at all, let’s recognize that it is tax equity.
David A Turner says
Michael, thank you for explaining the current situation so eloquently.
Don E. Itall says
Town resident pay for services they receive, non-town residents pay for services they receive. Sounds fair to me unless I’m missing something. If county roads run through the town both town and non-town residents pay to maintain said roads. Non-town residents pay for their own garbage collection should they choose. Is this included in town taxes? My fire company is 15 or 20 minutes away – I pay for that through increased property taxes. Equity is a seriously slippery slope…