WIS News 10 - Columbia, South Carolina | Kershaw Co. auditor says slipping economy evident in unpaid taxes
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By Jody Barr - | email
KERSHAW COUNTY, SC (WIS) - Kershaw County officials met Tuesday to talk about how to fund the county's schools.
Some county officials say the signs of the slipping economy are starting to show in unpaid corporate property taxes.
These days are much different for Kershaw County Auditor Robin Watkins' 32-year-long career in the auditor's office.
Watkins says if you're looking for hard evidence of how bad the economy really is, just take a look through the county tax files.
"I don't remember seeing this many large companies not paying their bills by this point in the year," said Watkins.
Watkins says there's more than $1 million in unpaid property taxes in Kershaw County. Most of that tax revenue goes to fund public schools while the rest goes to run the county.
"It trickles down from the sheriff's department to the libraries to operating the county, to the landfills to everything the county's responsible for," said Watkins.
County tax records show four Kershaw County companies owe a combined $847,000 in unpaid 2008 taxes.
Lugoff's Investa is battling the county in appeals court over tax bills that total more than a half-million dollars.
Records show Weylchem US owes the county more than $531,000 dollars. The company is appealing the debt with the state Department of Revenue.
The county billed Dana Corporation for nearly $73,000 last year. Records show that bill remains unpaid.
The county ordered a 2 percent budget cut in August.
Watkins says she got a letter Monday that the county is looking at another 5 percent cut by the end of the year.
"You don't have much money left over and if it does take an additional 5 percent, we'll probably be losing some staff members," said Watkins.
Once again, Watkins is pointing the finger at these unpaid taxes.
"Just a few large corporations are holding the bulk of the unpaid money and it's getting hard for us to make budget," said Watkins.
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