There are 1,357 square miles in Charleston County, but only about 543 are now taxable for one reason or another. Therefore, just about 40 percent of our land is currently paying property taxes to support the full cost of all government services to 100 percent of our land. That's not fair, that's not right. Forty percent of our property now pays for 100 percent of our property. That's like four people working to support 10 when the other six work.
Taxable property becomes more scarce.
There is daily less and less land left in Charleston County to pay property tax. Local government budgets stay headed up, and you and I appear doomed to pay more and higher property taxes on our homes, businesses and rental property left in private ownership. As taxes on businesses, single-residential rentals, or apartments go up, the rent goes up and the shock waves spread. Every time the property-tax base might shrink even a little bit, the school board, county and municipal governments and the Chamber of Commerce run around in circles screaming and yelling that they need more land to tax. I can understand some extreme small conservation groups who think government should own or control all of this land and no land should be left in private ownership to pay taxes.