Who Pays SC State Income Tax?
As South Carolinians across the state prepare for the April 15 tax filing deadline, a Policy Council analysis of the state income tax system finds that more than 30 percent…
Long-Term Liability Challenges for South Carolina Taxpayers
South Carolina taxpayers currently face serious long-term financial challenges based upon a review of the July 1, 2008actuarial report of the largest statewide pension plan – the South Carolina Retirement…
The Economic Impact of Federal Spending on State Economic Performance: A South Carolina Perspective
Federal government spending comes with costs; it should not be accepted as the free-lunch it is frequently considered to be. Every dollar the government spends must first be removed from…
The Economic Impact of Federal Spending on State Economic Performance: A South Carolina Perspective
By: Donna Arduin Arthur B. Laffer, Ph.D. Wayne H. Winegarden, Ph.D. Ian McDonough Click here to view the PDF version of this report.
The $21 Billion Budget: Three Categories of State Spending
Download the .pdf version here. The state of South Carolina spends approximately $21 billion each year. This is three times higher than the state budget figure frequently cited publicly. This…
Economics of Climate Change in South Carolina
Written by: David G. Tuerck, PhD Economic analysis of the Climate, Energy and Commerce Advisory Committee (CECAC) report would cost taxpayers billions of dollars while offering a negligible environmental benefit,…
House Rules Change Not Transparency; Most Bills Exempt From Recorded Vote
The South Carolina House of Representatives voted 77-34 today to adopt a House rules change that expands the range of matters subject to a vote on the record, but the…
South Carolina Nation’s Worst at Requiring Recorded Votes
A Policy Council study of the Constitutional and legislative procedural rules in all 50 states finds that South Carolina is one of just five states that do not require lawmakers…
House and Senate Committees Recommend Nearly 7.5 Percent Budget Cuts; Education and Corrections Spared
Written by: Bryan Cox The House Ways and Means Committee and Senate Finance Committee each recommended approximately $480 million in cuts to the state budget Friday to compensate for reduced…
Transparency Reforms Needed in SC Government
The General Assembly wants to play an active role in the South Carolina economy – that much is clear. If elected officials insist on tampering with the American free-market model,…
South Carolina General Assembly Should Call Roll
Legislators must be held accountable for their choices, and South Carolinians deserve to know how their elected officials vote. Roll call voting is critical to ensuring open government. Voice votes…
Cigarette Tax Increase
Written by: Sven Larson, PhD The tax increase passed by the General Assembly, and vetoed by the Governor, would have used new revenue largely to expand Medicaid eligibility. Medicaid costs…
Market Based Medicaid Reform: No New Costs, Better Quality Care
Written by: Mike Bond The best way to assure cost control and good quality in our health care system is to focus reforms on competition and consumer choice. Market-based solutions…
Budget Should Fund Core Government Functions, Not Private Sector
Written By: Ashley Landess The budget debate will rightly focus on raided trust funds, wasteful spending and the looming danger of unfunded liabilities. How much money lawmakers allocate to…
Online Check Registers
According to the National Association of State Budget Officers, South Carolina?s state government spent over $19.6 billion dollars in 2007, an increase of more than nine percent over the 2006…
Should Government Be Spending Your Money Like This?
Written by: Ashley Landess The SC House will take up the budget next Tuesday. Lawmakers should carefully deliberate whether some programs should be funded this year ? or at all…
Should Government Be Spending Your Money Like This?
The SC House will take up the budget next Tuesday. Lawmakers should carefully deliberate whether some programs should be funded this year ? or at all ? with public money.…
An Excise Tax is Not a User Fee
Governments apply excise taxes to private market transactions. User fees, on the other hand, are costs associated with a publicly owned good. While some user fees are calculated in accordance…
Reviewing the Records: SC Supreme Court Seat 3 & Court of Appeals Seat 6
Written by: SCPC and BIPEC The economic impact of Supreme Court and Court of Appeals decisions play a significant role in determining the success or failure of aspiring individuals, business…
South Carolina Needs State and Local Spending Caps
Since 2004, state spending has grown nine percent each year while family incomes in South Carolina have grown at just three percent. In that same period, the median family income…
South Carolina Needs State and Local Spending Caps
Since 2004, state spending has grown nine percent each year while family incomes in South Carolina have grown at just three percent. In that same period, the median family income…
Supplement not Supplant: Education Lottery Revenues
Education Lottery revenues have in many instances supplanted, not supplemented, the States spending on K-12 and Higher Education. In the former, this has meant Lottery money for basic instructional needs…
South Carolina’s Built-In Income Tax Hikes
South Carolina’s income tax structure is antiquated. As salaries rise with inflation, the increased take-home income drives workers into higher marginal rates of taxation. This occurs even if a workers…
South Carolina’s Climate Advisory Committee: What to Expect
Public policy choices should be informed, well balanced, and based on solid empirical data with dynamic analysis of costs and benefits. While the Committee offers South Carolina an excellent opportunity…
State Spending Growth Tops Southeastern Region
The Fiscal Survey of the States, a joint publication of the National Governors Association and the National Association of State Budget Officers was released this month. The reported cited South…
Big Budget Bad for Economic Growth
Written by: Ashley Landess South Carolina government is growing at a faster rate than our incomes. From 1992 to 2002 real per capital income grew by 2.5 percent, compared to…
The Economic Impact of a 45 Cent Tobacco Tax Increase
Despite a surplus of more than $1.3 billion in tax revenues for 2006, lawmakers in Columbia are looking to increase taxes on cigarettes by 45 cent a pack. Not satisfied…
National Study Confirms: Taxes in South Carolina are High, Rising
In late April of 2007, the Tax Foundation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization, released a new report that detailed the rising burden of state and local taxation. The report found…
State Spending Growth Tops Southeastern Region
The Fiscal Survey of the States, a joint publication of the National Governors Association and the National Association of State Budget Officers was released this month. The reported cited South…
Reviewing the Records: SC Supreme Court Seat 5
This is an informational report about the eight candidates for the seat number five position open on the South Carolina Supreme Court. [ Download Complete Article ]