THE DISTINCTION IS VITAL, AND STATE LAWMAKERS ARE WRONG TO IGNORE IT A common mentality inside the South Carolina General Assembly holds that all private goods and services belong to…
H.4227 would eliminate a number of sales tax exemptions and would direct the resultant revenue to the state’s general fund. Some of the items that would no longer be exempt…
BILL WOULD MAKE FALTERING RETIREMENT SYSTEM LESS ACCOUNTABLE S.675 designates the Public Employee Benefit Authority (PEBA) and the Retirement System Investment Commission (RISC) as co-trustees of the assets of the state…
S.C. POLITICOS HAVE PRODUCED AT LEAST FOUR MAJOR PLANS TO “FIX OUR ROADS.” NOT ONE OF THEM WILL ACCOMPLISH THAT GOAL. HERE’S WHY. How would a massive tax hike fix…
With the introduction of S.771, the General Assembly is once again resorting to excessive industry regulation in order to “protect the public health, safety, and welfare of the residents of…
A COMPROMISE? SURE. A COMPILATION OF ALL THIS YEAR’S BAD IDEAS? THAT TOO. Last week, a majority of Senate Republicans produced a compromise on the subject of road funding. At this…
S.759 is another attempt at Department of Transportation (DOT) “reform” that would only entrench existing legislative control over DOT. The bill increases the size of the DOT Commission (the entity…
H.4152 would cut all South Carolina income tax brackets by 1% over four years. The first 0.25% cut to each bracket would begin in 2015 and would continue for three…
STATE HOUSE ECONOMICS, CHAPTER II Following the governor’s lead on tax swaps, more than 20 Senate Republicans unveiled the outline of a compromise amendment to the Senate Finance gas tax…
WHERE DOES THE MONEY COME FROM? WHO SPENDS IT? WHO ARE THEY ACCOUNTABLE TO? The debate over road funding has seen a number of outrageous and contradictory claims. On the…
There has been endless talk about “road plans,” but in truth there is no plan to fix roads – the only debate in Columbia is over raising taxes. The promises…
LAWMAKERS’ PRIORITIES: MORE DEBT, HEEDLESS INCREASES TO STATE COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES This week the state Senate is debating the state budget produced by the Senate Finance Committee. This spending plan, unsurprisingly,…
H.4081 directs the Legislative Audit Council to conduct management performance audits of every public institution of higher education in South Carolina every ten years on a staggered schedule. The cost…
H.4065 makes an exception for the mandatory retirement age of solicitors. Under current law, solicitors are required to retire at the end of the calendar year in which they turn…
Why the Gas Tax Is a Tax – Not a “Fee”
THE DISTINCTION IS VITAL, AND STATE LAWMAKERS ARE WRONG TO IGNORE IT A common mentality inside the South Carolina General Assembly holds that all private goods and services belong to…
Eliminating some Sales Tax Exemptions
H.4227 would eliminate a number of sales tax exemptions and would direct the resultant revenue to the state’s general fund. Some of the items that would no longer be exempt…
BILL ANALYSIS: “Reforming” the Retirement System
BILL WOULD MAKE FALTERING RETIREMENT SYSTEM LESS ACCOUNTABLE S.675 designates the Public Employee Benefit Authority (PEBA) and the Retirement System Investment Commission (RISC) as co-trustees of the assets of the state…
Gas Tax Plans: More of the Same
S.C. POLITICOS HAVE PRODUCED AT LEAST FOUR MAJOR PLANS TO “FIX OUR ROADS.” NOT ONE OF THEM WILL ACCOMPLISH THAT GOAL. HERE’S WHY. How would a massive tax hike fix…
Imposing Regulations on the Recreational Vehicle Industry
With the introduction of S.771, the General Assembly is once again resorting to excessive industry regulation in order to “protect the public health, safety, and welfare of the residents of…
ANALYSIS: Senate Compromise on Road Funding
A COMPROMISE? SURE. A COMPILATION OF ALL THIS YEAR’S BAD IDEAS? THAT TOO. Last week, a majority of Senate Republicans produced a compromise on the subject of road funding. At this…
More False DOT “Reform”
S.759 is another attempt at Department of Transportation (DOT) “reform” that would only entrench existing legislative control over DOT. The bill increases the size of the DOT Commission (the entity…
Cutting Income Tax Brackets by 1%
H.4152 would cut all South Carolina income tax brackets by 1% over four years. The first 0.25% cut to each bracket would begin in 2015 and would continue for three…
The Myth of the Tax Swap
STATE HOUSE ECONOMICS, CHAPTER II Following the governor’s lead on tax swaps, more than 20 Senate Republicans unveiled the outline of a compromise amendment to the Senate Finance gas tax…
How Does Road Money Get Spent?
WHERE DOES THE MONEY COME FROM? WHO SPENDS IT? WHO ARE THEY ACCOUNTABLE TO? The debate over road funding has seen a number of outrageous and contradictory claims. On the…
FAST FACTS: A Tax Hike for Roads?
There has been endless talk about “road plans,” but in truth there is no plan to fix roads – the only debate in Columbia is over raising taxes. The promises…
UPDATE: State Budget on Senate Floor
LAWMAKERS’ PRIORITIES: MORE DEBT, HEEDLESS INCREASES TO STATE COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES This week the state Senate is debating the state budget produced by the Senate Finance Committee. This spending plan, unsurprisingly,…
Mandating Periodic Management Audits for Institutions of Higher Learning
H.4081 directs the Legislative Audit Council to conduct management performance audits of every public institution of higher education in South Carolina every ten years on a staggered schedule. The cost…
Amending the Retirement Requirement for Solicitors
H.4065 makes an exception for the mandatory retirement age of solicitors. Under current law, solicitors are required to retire at the end of the calendar year in which they turn…