MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WBTW) – Myrtle Beach mayoral candidate Mark McBride wants to hire 100 new police officers, and he wants to pay for it by taking tax money from the Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce. Some critics say his plan could increase property taxes by as much as 400%.
“If I lose this election because of that TDF fund, because of that 1% tax, it was the best thing that I’ve ever done for this city,” said Myrtle Beach Mayor John Rhodes at a recent debate.
Under state law, the tourism development fee pays for property tax breaks in Myrtle Beach.
“In two years, we’ve reduced the property taxes in this city by 80%. The largest tax reduction in the history of the state of South Carolina,” boasts Mayor Rhodes.
The law also sends millions of dollars to the chamber of commerce to advertise Myrtle Beach as a vacation destination. McBride wants to take $11.5 million of the TDF funds allocated for the chamber, and pay for more police officers.
“We’ve given the chamber $138 million and none of it has gone to safety. All you have to do is go up to Columbia and get the delegation to change a couple lines in the state law to allow its use for public safety,” McBride insists.
News13 hasn’t found a local state lawmaker who has said they’re willing to change the law. However, if they did, Rhodes said the change could endanger the property tax breaks paid for by the tax.
“They’ve all told us, if you open up that bill, you may lose property tax breaks for our residents. I’m not going to do that,” declared Mayor Rhodes.
An advertisement circulating on Facebook claims McBride’s plan could increase taxes by 400%. The ad, however, doesn’t provide any evidence to back up that claim. McBride’s plan does not call for an end to the property tax rebates.
“Will you please change the advertising so we can use it and pay for our own police officers?” McBride asked.
Some critics also say taking advertising money from the chamber would mean fewer visitors and, ultimately, less tax money. There’s no way to determine what the actual impact would be. The tax has only been around since 2009, long after Myrtle Beach became a tourist destination.
