(PIC)Experienced carnival operators know how to play the 'shell game'. No matter how hard you try, or how many times you play, you never win. It's no different when government sets out to separate you from your hard earned money.

Scotland County Manager Kevin Patterson says he plans to present the Board of Commissioners with options for a <strong><em>Property Tax Reduction</em></strong>. That sounds like great news, but is it?

Property Tax <strong>Rates</strong> could indeed be lowered, but as long as <strong>Assessed Valuations</strong> keep rising, property owners still come out on the losing end. Despite the fact that <strong>real</strong> property values are declining in Scotland County (try selling your property and see what happens), Assessed Valuations, as determined by the county Assessor, continue to rise, causing property tax bills to go up. It's the same old pig, but with new lipstick.

The other game that's being played on county residents is the <strong>Personal Property Tax</strong>. Despite having already paid a hefty Sales, Use or Excise Tax when first purchasing personal property, Scotland County demands a tax each year for as long as you own the item.

There is no free lunch, and County residents have paid a heavy price. Burdensome taxation discourages new business and household formation and discourages existing enterprises from investment, including the replacement of obsolete and worn out items.

<strong>The only way we'll ever experience a real tax reduction is if the County actually spends less money</strong>. Until then, it's only a question of which shell game they use to keep us guessing.

"<em>Still in the early stages of developing the budget for the county’s 2016-2017 fiscal year, <a id="KonaLink0" class="kLink" href="http://laurinburgexchange.com/news/4229/scotland-county-may-reduce-tax-rate#"><span style="color: #595959;"><span class="kLink">County </span><span class="kLink">Manager</span></span></a> Kevin Patterson said on Monday that he plans to present the Scotland County Board of <a id="KonaLink1" class="kLink" href="http://laurinburgexchange.com/news/4229/scotland-county-may-reduce-tax-rate#"><span style="color: #595959;"><span class="kLink">Commissioners</span></span></a> with options for a property tax rate reduction.</em>" <span style="color: #0000ff;"><a href="http://laurinburgexchange.com/news/4229/scotland-county-may-reduce-tax-rate" target="_blank">Read more...</a></span>

This article: http://laurinburgexchange.com/news/4229/scotland-county-may-reduce-tax-rate

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