A proposal by S.C. Sen. Katrina Shealy (R-Lexington) to completely eliminate the individual income tax in South Carolina has received the endorsement of the Palmetto State’s top pro-free market fiscal conservative.
S.C. Sen. Tom Davis (R-Beaufort) – a longtime supporter of income tax relief (and opponent of government subsidized “economic development”) – praised Shealy’s proposal.
“I support and will co-sponsor Katrina’s bill,” Davis told FITS. “Eliminating the state income tax would do two important things: First, it would promote economic growth in South Carolina. Simply put, zero-income-tax states grow faster and create more jobs. Second, eliminating the income tax would force South Carolina politicians to control state government spending. A recent survey by the Kansas Policy Institute reveals that states with an income tax spent 42 percent more per resident than the states without one.”
Indeed … and less government is one reason we are so enamored by Shealy’s proposal.
Unlike other so-called “Republicans,” Shealy is proposing an honest-to-God tax cut – one achieved via spending reductions and expanded economic activity. She’s not suggesting lawmakers raise taxes elsewhere as a method of “paying for” the cuts – as supporters of the so-called “Fair Tax” believe ought to be done.
In addition to being ideologically pure, Shealy’s plan also represents substantive relief – meaning it is light years ahead of the so-called “income tax relief” proposal offered last year by S.C. Gov. Nikki Haley.
Kudos to Davis (a member of the Senate Finance committee) for seconding this measure … and let’s hope other elected officials follow suit.
35 comments
Another Teanut chimes in. All talk, no real plan. What are you proposing we cut? Set out the specifics of your plan. Cutting taxes is 1/2 of a plan. You can’t evaluate the plan without the entire plan. How many people go into a store and say here is $500 now give me a box of something, I trust you to pick it out. That is what Shealy and Davis propose.
You will get the same details from this carpetbagger as you get on the “tax rebate” scam.
All’s I knows is this:
Some years back the SC legislature got a hard-on to reduce personal property tax. They did and then Spartanburg County started squealing about all the lost revenue.
They made up for it with the fucking $25/vehicle road “fee”
The tax on my 1983 motorcycle WAS around 8 bucks and change.
With the $25 road “fee” tacked on my taxes went up 300%
Same for my 1986 truck
Since then I’m distrustful about any “new” way. Seems like you always get bit on the ass one way or another.
That bunch in Sptbg County needs to be run off. They are as bad as Richland County.
Half of them were replaced but that damn “fee” is still there
€: Which just goes to show that taxes are harder to kill than Count Dracula! €*
* €: Sarcasm
ƒ: Irony
We need to get these damn roads repaired before we go that route.
The usual will be cut for more tax welfare for the wealthy. Cut benefits to the working people, the seniors, the sick, and the poor then raise fees and taxes on them.
Mongloid mouth Davis the head Teabagger thinks this is a great idea..yeah it only helps the rich and big corporations that put money is his picket…wake up south carolina aren’t you tired of this shit by now? Piss down our backs and tell us its raining.
“Money in his picket”?
You sure you wanna be throwing “Mongloid mouth” around when you type & spell like a mongoloid?
Although I thought it was funny even though you are the pot calling kettle black. I’ve never heard that insult before now, so kudos to you.
“the kettle”
I suppose that I now, am too a mongoloid.
Nah….just a Davis ball cudler.
Fuck you Davis. Is that better?
instead of moaning let’s get serious example Texas I have kin in TX & they would not move back to SC nor NC where they lived prior —-check!
Anybody found the current verbiage yet? Link to or pdf would be awesome.
I’m still not buying it Sic. The end user pays all taxes. From what I’ve read thus far, it’s a tax on corp’s only. Union Thug Ass Corp’s love taxes. Lets them bargain easier with the thugs.
http://scstatehouse.gov/sess120_2013-2014/bills/901.htm
It’s good to see Republicans actually doing what they say they will on their platform for once. Not if we can only be so lucky as to see if a majority of them will follow their own platform.
So Davis is sleeping with Shealy, too? Dude’s been busier than we thought.
Yeah, well, we know how dim this friend of Marks is.
I would expect that those who learned about numbers at Mark Sanford’s knee would adopt a one size fits all solution that seems to work in some states despite the fact that all states have different resources to work with and ours has very little.
Why can’t everyone remember our state’s money problems started when we killed our balanced income/sales/property tax system because people – particularly, those asses in Lexington County – wanted their homes to appreciate 100% a year during the bubble but didn’t want their property taxes to go up?
This is another step into insanity.
any time I hear “ideologically pure” – i know something logically inconsitent and unsupportable will be right near by…
Hide your 8th graders.
Income tax is supplanted by fees, fees, and more fees. Guess who really gets screwed on this deal? We got no oil. We got no Mickey. Just a lot of Mickey Mouse Teatards. Besides, how we gonna give Boeing another billion without income tax.
good point.
Jut what I was thinking
Only viable alternative is casinos in Myrtle Beach & legalize/tax drugs and prostitution
The whoring and pimping for free in Columbia has got to stop!!!!
“The whoring and pimping for free in Columbia has got to stop!”
Do you mean “tax free” instead of “free”?
You’re on to it. It’s either income taxes or higher property taxes, regressive sales taxes or fees, fees, fees. Raise the threshold to, say, $100K (per couple) and keep the seven percent. The problem is the income tax milking working class folks. The $14,400 threshold is way out of date.
All you naysayers that are too busy dissing the Tea Party can NOT argue the facts. States with no income tax fare much better economically. But facts are such stubborn things…let’s just continue to spew rhetoric and Tea Party bashing like you all do so well.
states are different. very different. having or not having a 7% income tax is not the only difference between florida, new hampshire and south carolina. it isn’t even in the top 10.
proposing something that can never be enacted is the same as not proposing anything. in this sense she is the same as every other legislator. worse, in fact, because she is posing and wasting everyone’s time. this is why single payer was never proposed. it was too much of a leap, even if it was the best solution. if shealy was serious she would propose a tax cut and show how it gets paid for.
All states need money to operate, certainly someone noticed our state money tree died and the rich are picking theirs to give it to SC. So if we do away with taxes what programs are they going to cut and who is going to scream the loudest when the program that affects them is gone.
A very astute and honest comment which should be taken to heart by both sides of the isle.
“…states with an income tax spent 42 percent more per resident than the states without one.”This statement is only meaningful if OUR state with an income tax is spending 42% more than those without. I seriously doubt this is true. That is what this guy does: he uses general statistics (which may overall be true) to describe our specific situation. This is a lie in disguise. I don’t believe anything he says.
Does anyone know if this “tax elimination” would be replaced with a “flat tax” or sales tax? I have a hard thinking any organization (political or otherwise) intends on reducing its source of operating income. How will they operate? How do other states operate with no “income tax”. It’s clear that Governments tax — it’s in their DNA, it’s how they peddle “power and influence”, and it’s how they operate. Just curious if anyone understands the bigger picture of this plan?
TOM.. You are the best senator i know. If you pull this off it will be the best move ever. Please bring Davis for Senator or anything you are running for to bluffton. More people will move to SC like they move to TN and Florida. No state income tax is a no brainer.
More welfare for the rich. Most people in SC pay little or no taxes because their income is so low and the SC income tax rate is low. The ones that will get the BIGGEST windfall will be the rich. Working people will not really get a break, but millionaires will get a HUGE break and everyone making less than them will pay for that tax welfare. This has NOTHING to do with SC jobs or bringing corporations to SC. SC is really poor and yet they want to eliminate a huge source of what little money we get so the wealthy can make more money? INSANITY.
REPUBLICAN LIARS.
“Laffer Debunked: States without an income tax do not enjoy stronger economic growth” Oklahoma Policy Institute.