GREENVILLE, S.C. (FOX Carolina) – Greenville County voters have an important decision to make on their ballots, do you want the county to impose a one-percent sales tax to fix roads?
Councilors first began discussing the penny sales tax a year ago and now the decision is in your hands. Out of the 46 counties in South Carolina, Greenville is one of only three that’s never had a sales tax approved by voters.
A 1 percent sales tax in Greenville is estimated to generate $1 billion over 8 years. If approved residents and visitors would be taxed 1 percent on every purchase in the county other than gas, medication and groceries.
“Municipal roads that are in our cities, county roads, and state roads. All of the roads that are either fair or in poor condition will be addressed,” District 25 Councilman Ennis Fant explained.
A commission created a list of more than 1,400 road projects that would be funded. Projects like repaving, congestion relief and intersection improvements.
Although the majority of council has supported the referendum—others say a penny tax isn’t the way to go.
“I would tell the voters to look at this very long and confusing referendum and vote no,” said Councilman Steve Shaw, District 21.
The ballot question will show a condensed list of projects to be funded. The full list is 26 pages long. You’ll be asked “yes” or “no” if you want the tax to be levied.
Then what happens? leaders say if voters do not approve the tax, fixing roads is a money problem.
“There is no pot of money that someone is hiding in a closet somewhere that we can use if this fails,” said Fant. If we don’t pass this one cent sales tax on November 5th, the roads in Greenville County, particularly in the rural areas, will be in a rapid, steady state of decline until they turn back to gravel and then turn back to dirt.”
“There’s not enough because the county council at its stance has not prioritized roads. If we just simply prioritize roads, there’s plenty. And the state has already told us they have the money to fix the roads. they’re just slow because they can’t find the contractors and we wouldn’t be able to either,” Shaw argues.
But if it is approved, the tax doesn’t take effect until May 2025, so council will consider approving a bond.
“If they vote for it, they want to see results like yesterday. The bond will allow us to let them see bulldozers moving and pavement being laid almost instantly,” said Fant.
The last time a sales tax was on the ballot in Greenville was 10 years ago and voters did not approve it. Back then council did not exempt the tax on groceries and medications.
To view the full list of proposed projects and learn more about the proposed sales tax, click here. To watch FOX Carolina’s One Percent Sales Tax Debate, click here.
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