Jun 18 2008
Myrtle Beach Raises Taxes to End Biker Events
MYRTLE BEACH — Myrtle Beach City Council hit the gas on eradicating motorcycle rallies by passing a three-mill property-tax increase dedicated to an anti-bike-rally campaign and beginning to enact ordinances that will end motorcycle-related vending inside the city.
All seven council members at Tuesday’s meeting voted in favor of the tax increase, which will raise about $1 million a year. One mill equals an additional $4 in property taxes for every $100,000 of assessed value for all owner-occupied homes, and $6 for every $100,000 assessed value of commercial property and second homes.
City staff members are tasked with coming up with a list of strategies for ending the rallies, and city leaders will choose which ones they want to try and which ones the city can afford.
This is one of the most imbecilic wastes of tax dollars I have seen in a while. I don’t live in Myrtle Beach so I frankly don’t care what they do, but am I the only one this idea strikes as totally asinine? They are raising taxes, thus lowering the economic opportunities of their residents and businesses, in order quell what is an economic powerhouse in their city every single year. Huh????? Give this town a Darwin Award!
What kind of city tells their biggest cash cow that they’re not wanted? Go away! We don’t want you spending your money in our businesses. We don’t want your sales tax revenue from the money you are spending at our shops and hotels.
I’ve been to Myrtle Beach during Biker Week. Yeah, it gets a little loud, but it’s not a big deal.
To further add to the insanity, the City Council doesn’t even know how they are going to spend the money. Their idea is to replace the bikers with families, but they haven’t the first clue how. One, how do you stop the bikers from coming? You can’t make them illegal. Even if they managed to find a way, what do they think they can do to replace them? The two bike weeks are in May and the black biker week is sometime in the fall (I don’t know why black bikers have their own week, but whatever floats their boat). Children are in school during those times of year. Hello, McFly! Anybody home?
If they really want to roll in the dough I suppose they could petition the Bible beaters in Columbia to allow gambling. I’m sure comb over Don would love to sink several million into some brand new casinos along the strip. Of course, then you have to deal with the poverty and squaller that will eventually encompass the surrounding area. The Atlantic City Strip where all the casinos are is just lovely, but you literally walk one block away into the city and it turns into one big pile of shit. I think Biker Week would be a future.
