Myrtle Beach is taxing the poor to give to the wealthy

Mayor John Rhodes, at recent neighborhood watch meetings, encouraged people to vote for reimposition tourism tax reimposition. Due to the opposition he met, Myrtle Beach City Council was expected to extend it to 2029 at a council meeting, like they did in 2009 - without a referendum.

The next meeting is at 2 p.m. on June 28 at the police station on Oak Street.

This tax was quietly enacted in 2009 to provide taxpayer money for the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce, supposedly for out of market advertising, which is projected at $20 million for 2016. To make it more palatable, a property tax break for primary residents’ homes was included. Second homeowners, investors, renters and others are left out.

This is a prime example of why our country is in the red and how we take from the poor and give to the affluent. Taxes are not meant for advertising.

This story was originally published June 21, 2016 at 10:46 AM with the headline "Myrtle Beach is taxing the poor to give to the wealthy."