Letters To The Editor: 2016 Election Extra
RIDE 3 is double taxation
Why should Horry taxpayers pay twice for road improvements? We pay federal, state and county taxes for roads, yet the greedy in Horry County want the sheeple to pay for what we've already paid for.
Seems that our U.S. Senators Tim Scott Lindsay Graham, Rep. Tom Rice and other state representatives need to fulfill their duties and get the funding for Ride from money we have already paid to have these improvements done.
We pay $50 per year to county. It once was $10. Who's getting that?
It is the sworn responsibility for our state, local and government representatives to act on our behalf, but it seems that is too much to ask - even in this day of the citizen demanding accountability.
And looking for ways to save any money we can, I, we, must ask why we should pay more taxes for roads when we all have already paid millions.
Michael Knight, Conway
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Where does our tax money go?
RIDE 3 is just like RIDE 1 and RIDE 2 and the penny tax paid by the citizens from every part of Horry county so that the money could be used to build an overpass demarcation line between the haves of pristine The Market Common and the have-nots of S.C. 707 Socastee, with its trailer parks, car washes, used car lots, auto repair shops, pawn stores, secondhand shops, fast food restaurants and Hispanics. And like the light at Courtney Drive, it’s all for the convenience of the haves.
Where is all of the Horry County tax money going, especially since the tourists are supposedly paying everything?
We should be rolling in dough!
Arthur Askew, Myrtle Beach
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I don’t want to pay unnecessary highway fees
Re RIDE 3
Just wondering if this proposed tax will impact the current highway maintenance fee of $50 per vehicle?
Thirty years ago the fee was $15. With the population increase in Horry County and many households having several vehicles, one can't help but wonder what percent of the funds went to roads and what percentage went into “the general fund” never to be seen again.
Since the highway fee is paid by residents (not tourists) and RIDE 3 includes tourists, it would seem fair to repeal the highway fee.
It would be interesting to see if there is a balance sheet available for the highway fee. Can someone can tell me where I can find one?
I've got to say I would have trouble supporting two road fees.
Ken Healy, Conway
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Trump tax situation sound policy
You can’t tell much from the first two pages of a tax return, especially for a man like Donald Trump, whose tax return was said to be 1,200 pages long. But one thing for sure is that permitting the deduction of net operating losses is sound tax policy and not an abuse.
For example, consider a business that loses $100,000 in year one but makes $100,000 in year two. If tax returns were due every two years, there would be no profit or loss. So the ability to recover taxes previously paid and/or to avoid making tax payments until the loss is made up is a matter of equity.
It appears that 1995 was a gigantic loss year for Trump in large measure because of the collapse of Atlantic City as a gambling center where Trump had major investments and personally guaranteed loans. And since a loss of nearly $1 billion was incurred, is it not just for him to make up this loss before future taxes need be paid?
I’ve seen many individuals and businesses lose money over my career as a CPA and then use their net operating losses to reduce future taxable income. When bankruptcy happens, creditors get none or only a portion of amounts otherwise due them. But that’s a business risk that is always taken when you sell something to someone else on credit.
It has been alleged that Trump paid no income taxes for 18 years. But this is not necessarily so since he may have recovered his loss in less time.
Steve Radics, Murrells Inlet
This story was originally published November 5, 2016 at 3:19 PM with the headline "Letters To The Editor: 2016 Election Extra."