Friday Follies: A Tax Exemption for … Huh?
A TAX BREAK FOR FOOD AND CLOTHING IN THE PREPARATION OF PERISHABLE FOOD. THAT MAKES PERFECT SENSE. It’s often the case, and South Carolina is no exception. Lawmakers tend to…
Disclosure: What the Law Does & Doesn’t Require
LAST YEAR’S DISCLOSURE LAW LEAVES OUT A LOT – A LOT THAT YOU CAN ASK FOR Last month, we launched Project Income Disclosure with the aim of giving citizens a way…
Why the Governor’s Budget Won’t Be Debated
SOUTH CAROLINA’S EXECUTIVE BUDGET GETS IGNORED – AND THAT’S HOW LAWMAKERS LIKE IT On websites and editorial pages across the nation, Americans are debating President Donald Trump’s proposed budget. The president’s…
More ‘Official’ Time-Wasters
WHY MUST THE STATE DECIDE THE RIGHT AND WRONG WAY TO DRAW A TREE? South Carolina faces many problems. The fact that graphic designs of palmetto trees aren’t standardized is not…
Wrap-Up of the 2017 Legislative Session
WHAT PASSED, WHAT DIDN’T, WHAT’S STILL TO COME On May 11, the legislative session ended for this year. Lawmakers will return next week to finish and pass the budget and…
The Gas Tax, the Infrastructure Bank, and Lawmakers’ Word Games
• Legislature began diverting fees to Infrastructure Bank in 2005 • Diversion of Funds meant to circumvent state constitution • In 2003 lawmakers changed the name of the gas tax to…
Gas Tax Bill a Windfall for Infrastructure Bank
PROPONENTS CLAIM THE BILL WOULD FIX SOUTH CAROLINA’S ROADS. THAT’S NOT WHAT THE BILL SAYS. [NB: The bill discussed in this report is now law, the state senate having overridden…
‘Reform’ to State Pension System Now the Law
SOUTH CAROLINA’S ‘PENSION DEFICIT DISORDER’ HASN’T BEEN SOLVED On April 25, Gov. Henry McMaster signed a bill intended to reform South Carolina’s pension system. The bill, now a law, raises…
House Gas Tax vs. Senate Gas Tax: A Comparison
LAWMAKERS HAVE TO COMBINE TWO BAD BILLS. THINGS COULD GET WORSE. The House and the Senate have both passed bills that contain significant tax increases, insignificant reform elements, and negligible…
The Gas Tax Bill – A Guide for the Perplexed
● The Senate’s bill raises gas tax by 12 cents per gallon ● Includes large increases in array of fees ● Calls tax a ‘fee,’ allowing Infrastructure Bank to create more…