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Polk’s tax rate ties for 23rd lowest in state
Published 5:50pm Thursday, July 26, 2012Polk County ranks in the bottom quarter of tax rates throughout North Carolina for fiscal year 2012-2013.
Polk’s tax rate of 52 cents per $100 of valuation is almost half of Scotland County’s $1.03 tax rate, which is the highest in the state.
The N.C. Association of County Commissioners recently released the rankings following statewide counties adopting new budgets, which began July 1.
Polk County’s tax rate is ranked 78 out of 100 counties from high to low tax rates, or the 27th lowest tax rate in the state. Polk ties with Madison (26th), Cherokee (25th), Burke (24th) and Alamance (23rd) Counties, which also have tax rates of 52 cents.
“I am very pleased to be in the bottom fourth in the state on county tax rate,” said Polk County Manager Ryan Whitson. “Our current tax rate is adequate to meet our needs and I don’t see a tax increase needed in the near future.”
The lowest tax rate in the state is Macon County, with a tax rate of 27.9 cents per $100 of valuation.
Most surrounding counties have higher tax rates than Polk except Henderson County, which is ranked just below Polk at 22nd with a tax rate of 51.36 cents per $100 of valuation.
We see this view of our local government given, in disgust by many of us, each year as a ploy by local government to make us think as taxpayers we are somehow better off than other counties around our state with a higher tax rate. In fact in POLK we are worse off in terms of the key factor which is cleverly left out of this well written article, which we have seen done in the news yearly for many, many years. That left out factor is large percentage of our tax money turned over to towns by our commission which they do yearly and which we in the county outside the towns have nothing whatsoever to say about how the money is spent so the towns waste the money. In Tryon township outside where I live this gets close to a total of 25 per cent of our county tax bill between the fire tax, Harmon Field, and of course, your tax bill does not account for other local taxes you pay such as the fees, hotel tax, and sales tax which the county ends up participating in. In the case of Harmon Field and Tryon Fire district the town officials dominate totally the use of that tax money turned over by the county and we, as county tax payers, are not even allowed to vote in the election of the town officials who dominate that tax money, let alone have any say in how they waste the money. The two hundred thousand dollars used in the local Tryon failed annexation is a good example of the waste we made possible with our misguided tax money. No, this article misses the mark and my, as always, contrarian view, seems to fall upon deaf ears. I seem to be the only person in this county OUTSIDE town in my township who notices that when I go to the ballot box my vote is not allowed to affect how my county tax money is spent………in reality. In reality, taxation without representation is alive and well in Polk county. So editor………please tell the whole truth of the matter. I remain……LOCALNATIVE AND CONTRARY.