By JOSHUA COOK || Hopefully the South Carolina Association of Realtors is better at selling houses than telling the truth, because they were just caught in a big, fat lie regarding the Greenville County, S.C. proposed tax hike.
In a recent mail piece, the Realtors group claimed that food would be exempt from the “one cent” sales tax increase on the ballot November 4.
That’s a lie. Groceries and unprepared food will be included in the proposed sales tax increase.
Some Greenville county council members, who are bought and paid by special interest groups, sold this lie to the public too.
NoTaxHikeSC.com and Americans for Prosperity exposed the lie though.
“If the sales tax hike passes, Greenville County will see higher prices for groceries like milk, eggs and bread,” stated Americans for Prosperity South Carolina state director Dave Schwartz. “If the politicians and lobbyists are misleading citizens on this fact, what else are they being less than truthful about? As if it’s not bad enough to sock Greenville county’s poorest citizens with a tax hike on their basic necessities, the proponents can’t seem to conduct their campaign accurately.”
The wording of the proposal includes enforces the sales tax hike on those who don’t use food stamps for items like bread, milk, eggs and water.
The damage is already done. The people who voted via absentee ballots were given false information by South Carolina Association of Realtors and the Greenville county council.
Greenville county councilman Butch Kirven told WYFF.com, “Blame me” for misinforming the public about the “1-cent” tax hike.
The simple truth is Kirven has lost the public’s trust and should resign from office.
A quick call to the South Carolina Department of Revenue (SCDOR) would have cleared things up. But no one took the time, including the media, to investigate the truth except local activists. Listen to the SCDOR explain that groceries would be taxed if the transportation tax hike passed.
This is a clear example of why we cannot trust our elected officials to tell us the truth.
Will an incompetent government some how magically start being competent with more taxpayer money?
Greenville citizens should vote NO on November 4th and send groups like the South Carolina Association of Realtors a message that we don’t appreciate their misleading campaign or their cronyism.
Joshua Cook is the acting Chairman for the Republican Liberty Caucus of South Carolina. He is the founder and organizer of NoTaxHikeSC.com and wants to defeat the proposed “penny” tax that will be on the ballot November 4th.
UPDATE: Realtors’ respond.
25 comments
“Americans for Prosperity” and “Republican Liberty Caucus” . . . . The Right sure loves those Rovisms! LOL
Those are anti-Rovisms you dope. Go read a book
To do that would require they have the ability to read for understanding… not parrot talking points. Not gonna happen.
The SC Board of Realtors is a Hugh Leatherman operation. His hand picked stooge that runs the Columbia operation is Nick Kremides (sp) who lives in Florence, the seat of power in SC.
The Florence crowd will lie, cheat or steal to get YOUR money into THIER pocket. They are good at taking your money.
Resistance is futile.
Florence is the seat of power in SC?
Why is it such a shithole? I mean Columbia is nasty..but damn..Florence? Are all the powerful folks hiding in the shitty and rundown towns?
It is, but those that rule it have houses on the coast, the mountains and overseas. They live in beautiful homes and drive wonderful cars, and travel extensively. they like power and money, not helping others…even their neighbors.
You have a case of class envy.
Not true. Nick Kremydas was hired about 20 years ago. And Hugh Leatherman had nothing to do with his hiring. And Nick is a long time resident of Columbia.
Great job Joshua. Keep it up. The bad guys control the information and allows them to do as they please.
The truth will keep you free. The truth will put the bad guys out of business.
Mark – thanks. I will keep speaking truth to power until we change this corrupt system.
Realtors often try to get involved in local politics and often seem to focus on building new roads and approving new housing developments. Hmm, I wonder why…. There couldn’t possibly be a conflict of interest, could there?
Misled and lied to in elections equates to null and void tax increase – violations of oath of office – and maybe even criminal acts. Politicians who lie like this need to be punished with more than just removal from office.
“Americans for Prosperity South Carolina state director Dave Schwartz.”
aka Koch hack Dave Schwatz
But, anyone who believes a realtor on anything – co-conspirators in the housing bubble and crash and lots of associated mortgage fraud; lobbysists who destroyed SC’s balanced income/sales/property tax system to sell homes at absurdly inflated prices – is demented.
County Council admitted their mistake when it was pointed out that governmental accounting regulations wouldn’t allow the provision that grants taxing authority to the County to allow that taxing mechanism to fall under the exempted tax category that necessity items fall under. County Council was notified by its attorneys after confirmation from SCDOR and pledged to find a way to reconcile the problem ASAP.
If you are contending that GREENVILLE COUNTY COUNCIL isn’t conservative enough, you may have been standing in sun waving signs too long.
“County Council was notified by its attorneys after confirmation from SCDOR and pledged to find a way to reconcile the problem ASAP. ”
Seems like it would be pretty easy to reconcile to me. Simply throw out the vote and have another.
As to whether the Greenville county council is conservative or not, last time I check conservatives think everyone is already over taxed, so this notion that the “right tax” is ok seems a bit laughable.
The Ashmore Bros., who are scary close to some of council, are drooling over the upcoming windfall of business repairing the same roads that they built. Think Thift Bros. version 2000-2015.
As for the Realtors, even the honest ones turn dirty to compete or they get the hell out.
Bravo….Bravo….BRAVO…..!!!!
+50 points and a “Greer Dragway Pit Pass”…..!!!!!!!!!
There is a reason Ashmore Bro. have a nice SEAT on Hwy 14 with an eye on the “Runway”…..!!!
Dare to wonder just how CLOSE Ashmore Bro. are to the tanker “trifecta” delivering all that FOSSIL Oil that gets our troops killed in the Middle East…???
Not usually a fan of the Prosperity, Group For folks, but on this one they actually show some backbone and willingness to stand up for the citizens. Taxing food is about as evil as the Tea Tax that started that crazy Revolution anyway. Oddly, SC loves to tax food – so that fat cats can have lower property taxes. The massa still runs da show.
This is the guy who got his MBA from North Greenville “University”. That place is controlled by the Southern Baptists and is just a step up from Brown Mackie.
I love these people who call government evil. Government is nothing more than the people who are paid a salary to do a job being the government. These people are treated badly by supervisors, and have little or no motivation to do the right things because their job ends at 5 p.m. We the taxpayers pay their salary. If we do not have government, then we will have to stockpile guns, ammo, food, and head for hills, shooting anyone who stands in the way of “our” freedom. Isn’t the answer somewhere in between?
Too bad nobody did anything about the fraudulent passing of the Richco “Penny Tax”.
But when Obama lied to you – “You can keep your coverage and it will cost less” – you all bent over and said “thank you sir, may I have another.”
When your aversion to lairs is based on political greed, it’s hard to feel sorry for you, or take you seriously. Corruption is bad, regardless…even when your lord-god Obama is wallowing in it.
Ya know….we wonder just how many Greenville County Civil Servants have seen this….
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6a2YLWmYDQ#t=180
…an angry “Grandpa” ….tells the NSA……what…?
Dare wonder how TRU-Luck pays for certain “parties”….?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jnVtBV-q9PA
Wonder how easy it is to tag an ASHMORE trailer park…?
We were out spent by the Realtors but at the end of the day we won!!