Study: High taxes have stymied growth in Columbia in the last decade Chris Trainor, The State (Columbia, S.C.) Dec. 17—Property taxes in the Columbia area are the highest among large metro areas in South Carolina, and have stymied growth in the Capital City in the last decade. That was a key takeaway of an 81-page property tax analysis commissioned by the City of Columbia earlier this year. The study — which cost the city $25,000 and was authored by Rebecca Gunnlaugsson, principal at Acuitas Economics and former chief economist with the state Department of Commerce — was initially presented to Columbia City Council in October, and was shared Wednesday in a discussion with the Columbia Chamber, the Building Industry Association of Central South Carolina, and the Central Carolina Realtors Association.