The South Carolina Policy Council Archive

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…

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…

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…

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 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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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 ]

Workplace safety in South Carolina is at an all time high and well above the national average. An effective Workers Compensation Commission should provide predictable and equitable settlements when accidents…

Don’t Fund Income Tax Stimulus with Corporate Tax Hikes By Burnet Maybank   I was very pleased to read Governor Sanfords recent call for $205 million in income tax reductions.…

Nothing is more dry and boring than a discussion of actuaries and accounting. But this year a major change in accounting procedures will have a profound effect on South Carolina…

Nothing is more dry and boring than a discussion of actuaries and accounting. But this year a major change in accounting procedures will have a profound effect on South Carolina…

Nothing is more dry and boring than a discussion of actuaries and accounting. But this year a major change in accounting procedures will have a profound effect on South Carolina…

For three decades, South Carolina state and local government spending has grown faster than revenues. Annual government growth has also outpaced the per capita income growth. Three times state lawmakers…

Authors: SCPC and Neil Mellen Proponents of network neutrality want the government to regulate internet access through statutory limitations on service providers. In their effort to ensure freedom of content…

Property rights need to be comprehensive. Simply re-working existing laws and limiting eminent domain to cases of public use is not enough protection. Disagreements about the nature of use and…

Policy makers in South Carolina should question the tendency towards centralized control or direct oversight of port development and expansion. The states inability to bear the capital costs of infrastructure…

A recent study documented the fiscal impact of six new residential subdivisions across the state of South Carolina. After years of local governments complaining about the cost of growth these…

An effective Tax and Expenditure Limitation (TEL) in South Carolina would be a constitutional restraint that allows for annual government growth in spending as a function of population growth and…

Following the Kelo decision legislatures throughout the nation have incorporated regulatory taking protection into property rights reform efforts. Bills in other states with such coverage include Wisconsin AB 675, Georgia…

The overwhelming grassroots response to the Kelo decision has lawmakers nationwide scrambling to protect property owners from government takings. Part of the comprehensive response is providing just compensation to those…

Another Year, Another Tax Hike Proposal: How A Tobacco Tax Increase Would Negatively Impact South Carolina Tax and spend advocates have long argued that South Carolina needs to increase its…

Authors: SCPC and Ashlee Landess For the past two years, pro-tax legislators in the General Assembly have talked about raising taxes to cover the extraordinary growth in Medicaid. Such measures…

Written by: Ashley Landess A liberal think-tank in Iowa made headlines when it chastised that states leaders for cutting spending and not raising taxes at the levels other states did.…

Authors: Edward T. McMullen   Recent efforts to trim the fat off the sacred cow of state government has produced a strong whiplash by the defiant Department of Mental Health.…

Authors: SCPC and Neil Mullen Medicaid is the Social Security program providing health care for those with low or limited incomes and special needs. Initially designed in the 1960s, it…