S.C. Senator Katrina Shealy (R-Lexington) did not disappoint …
The first-term lawmaker promised to unveil a comprehensive income tax relief proposal prior to the 2014 session of the S.C. General Assembly … and this week she delivered. In a huge way.
Shealy’s tax plan is better than anything we could have possibly anticipated. It calls for the complete elimination of all brackets of the state’s individual income tax – a.k.a. the levy paid by all taxpayers and the vast majority of South Carolina businesses.
It gets better, though. Shealy’s proposal does NOT call for corresponding tax hikes to “make up” the lost revenue. Instead, she tells FITS her tax relief will be paid for by growth in the economy and reductions in unnecessary government.
“We need to tighten our belt like every family in South Carolina had to do the last couple of years,” Shealy told FITS. “Like every business we need to cut out unnecessary expenses and wasteful spending.”
Wow. Impressive.
In fact that’s almost unheard of coming from a major party politician … not to mention a welcome departure from the ill-conceived “tax swaps” South Carolina has attempted in years past.
In contrast to S.C. Gov. Nikki Haley’s ridiculously inconsequential income tax “relief” plan – which would have provided a family of four with roughly $80 of tax relief a year (assuming there was surplus money in the state budget) – Shealy proposes to save that same family thousands of dollars annually.
According to legislation pre-filed this week at the S.C. State House, Shealy’s tax plan would shave 1.4 percent off of each of the state’s income tax brackets until the rate for each bracket reached zero.
“For tax years beginning after 2014, the rate of tax imposed pursuant to this section on all of the brackets of South Carolina taxable income is reduced by 1.4 percent each year until the rate of tax in all of the brackets has been reduced to zero percent,” Shealy’s draft legislation states.
This approach would benefit lower income earners first – although in South Carolina all income above $14,400 is taxed at the punitively high rate of 7 percent.
Bottom line? Shealy has done something few “Republicans” in South Carolina have dared to do: She’s offered up a substantive proposal that’s actually in line with the party’s stated belief in “lower taxes.”
Bravo, Katrina Shealy. Bravo.
It’s about time someone acknowledged the status quo with respect to economic development isn’t working.
106 comments
If I’m reading the article correctly, all taxes will be paid by corporations. WTF? No way. That’s BS. The end user ultimately pays all taxes and corporations love them some taxes. Heavy Taxes.
To easy to hide inside of price hikes. Mikey no LIkey. XP And WAY to easy for them to increase taxes when you don’t see it up front and personal.
“KAT scratch fever” is here………
NUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGENT!!!
*Holds up lighter.*
Eliminating the corporate income tax would help provide incentive for businesses to move here and would show a greater return sooner but the Democrats would cry foul and claim Republicans are “subsidizing” the businesses or “rich” or whatever demagogueing nonsense they can think up. By starting with the individual income tax Ms. Shealy hopes to avoid all that baloney and get some real tax relief started. Hopefully the legislature will pass this legislation without trying to hide other tax hikes within as they are wont to do. The spending cuts will be the key, without spending cuts it will take longer for this legislation to bear fruit and will give increased tax advocates a soap box on which to stand.
the corporate income tax in sc is only about 250,000,000 per year.
individual income tax is 3,357,517,669.
Another guy trying to point out facts.Facts got nothing on Republican dogma with this crowd
So…cutting corporate income taxes not only would encourage businesses to move to SC, but would not have as bad of an effect on SC state revenue. Seems like you’re helping his argument.
Most businesses do not pay corporate taxes but individual income taxes. Eliminating the corporate taxes would provide no relief to the majority of businesses.
To the larger point, if you look at the states that have no income tax one or more of the following applies to each:
1) They make up for it with higher property and sales taxes, so in effect their total tax burden is not necessarily low. If you look at TOTAL tax burden, SC ranks below average nationally.
2) They have oil revenues that supply a lot of money. Not an option here.
3) They have a huge tourist economy that brings in large sums of money without corresponding expenses. FL, NV in particular.
4) Some combination of the above.
I have property in FL and visit semi-frequently. The property and gas taxes are significantly higher than here. The sales tax varies from locality to locality but on average is the equal or higher than here for the most part. .
You must not own a second home in SC. Second homes are taxed at a MUCH higher rate in SC than in other states.
Wonder why I feel like a mouse sitting at the entrance of my hole in the wall home looking out and seeing a spanking brand new mouse trap with a big hunk of ripe cheese sitting on top
Oh, that’s right. Last year, year before and every year before that I have seen the little cockroach sons of bitches posture and strut around with their “new” proposals only to see them shuffled off to some maggot infested committee to die bite by bite. If by some miracle the Legislation makes it to the floor, odds are great the Governor will veto and the veto will stick
There will be no changes until you have a significant number of Legislators and Constitutional Officers all on board in the beginning. To bring them on board during the process will incur cost (i.e. changes) in the legislation for their support and such changes usually result in anemic legislation
Wonder why I feel like a mouse sitting at the entrance of my hole in the wall home looking out and seeing a spanking brand new mouse trap with a big hunk of ripe cheese sitting on top
TBG doesn’t care about the cheese, anymore.
He just wants to get out of the trap.
If it makes it to her desk and Bitch Haley vetoes it, she has effectively committed political suicide, killing her chances for another term in the Governor’s office OR higher political aspirations which we all know she has. That cannot be a bad thing.
I give Katrina major points for at least trying. I wish her well.
Taxes are a wash.
How fucking rich do you think you’re going to be without them?
Not one penny richer.
Greedy bastards.
If taxes are a wash then how can anyone be greedy?
Because they’re stupid. Obviously.
It stands to reason then if taxes doesn’t make anyone richer increasing them won’t make anyone poorer either.
Why not raise them?
I’ll leave this as an exercise for the student.
Because you can’t answer it.
oh yeah? … oh yeah?
well, you smell funny!
I posted a reply that pretty much summed it all up for you, but it was deleted by the sysop.
It was one of my most creative posts, too!
Hey! That’s just not right! :)
I think someone up there really wants me to answer it.
I’ll give you a hint.
Our economy has grown in the shadow of taxes, and it’s integrated into the fabric of our reality. Any modification of the tax code has a short-term effect that eventually stabilizes and its effects die out.
In a way, taxes are just another way of saying “the market is efficient.”
sigh.
The “tax relief will be paid for by growth in the economy and reductions in unnecessary government…” Typical GOP pie-in-the sky. When the evil income tax is eliminated lollipops will grow on trees, the rivers will run soda pop and money will rain from the sky.
And, there is bound to be a pony somewhere in this pile of horse shit.
…and Golden Corral will have dark chocolate, white chocolate, and caramel waterfalls….
Wait….
WHAT??
The Beetus is strong with this one…
Its the Laffer curve. Don’t you know how that works? The more you cut taxes the more money you bring in. Its just like magic math. If you eliminate taxes altogether you get infinite cash. Look it up. It always works. Always has. Just ask any Republican. He will tell you.
I like it better than the RINO/Democrat model, you know, the one where you tax yourself into prosperity.
Perfect way to sum it up, pie-in-the-sky.
What happens if a recession occurs, their goes not just growth in the economy but an actual reduction in economy size. This tax cut is only feasible in a world where there is no recession, aka fantasy land.
There was a reason the income tax was created. Unless they plan to present a more practical solution in the absence of an income tax, their idea is merely idealistic; theoretical even.
What state spending does she view as unnecessay and wasteful? She’s intellectually incapable of rhetorically advancing this legislation through the Senate. Will her benefactors train her to debate this bill coherently?
Greenville gave up Jakie for this?
Umm, maybe you could look up the district she (and “Jakie” used to) represents, and they didn’t give him up for her they flushed the turd down the drain and brought her in to represent them.
We flushed that turd down the toilet!!!!!!!! WAAAAYYYYYYY down…
Shows how smart you are! Greenville???
She got more bills passed in the Senate last year than most long time legislators…what the f is your problem? She doesn’t need to run her mouth to get the job done. You are the idiot!
Sounds like trickle down and I’ve been trickled on before. Guess we wouldn’t need the legislature anymore to fund state agencies, etc. Wouldn’t be any money from the state to education so your millage would be even higher on your home. Rich/Lex 5 is already sky high.
I for one would benefit greatly from not paying taxes. Boy would I love it. I could expand my business in ways I have only dreamed of. But this is sadly a pipedream on her part, a way to get political attention, and it will never pass. It would amass more wealth in people like me and deprive the needy of the basics of life.
Oh great, so we WILL lose revenue and there will be less $$ for things like roads and vital services, like police, emergency management, etc… True conservatives are supposed to believe in home rule, paying more in taxes locally than federally. But then again, I guess you would have to contain an ounce of intellectualism to go that deep into the weeds.
Katrina >>> Jake
Nitwit panderer.
Reduced by 1.4% a year. So, in 72 years no taxes. Is that really better than what you could have hoped for, Willie?
By my calculations, 7%-1.4% per year is 5 years.
Damn. How many fingers and toes are you missing?
JC is correct – think about it……
He knows, he’s just being difficult.
Great proposal! The individual income tax is the worst way to fund a government. SC can join Texas, Florida, and New Hampshire as one of the states without it. Everyone can and will benefit from keeping more of their hard-earned cash.
The problem is that Texas and Florida make up for it in property and sales taxes. To say that we can eliminate the tax and all will magically fall into place is naive. I’m conservative and agree we need to model after Texas and Florida, but that also means raising other taxes so government can actually operate. I don’t want the state I live in to be a poor crap hole.
It’s already a poor crap hole.
The democratic voting areas are.
The rest is just a crap hole.
What an absurd, demeaning comment!
Yet true. Take a visit to Hampton County, Allendale County, Bamberg, Barnwell, Lee, Clarendon, Williamsburg, you getting the picture yet?
You should leave. It would be less poor. And crappy.
Why don’t you leave. I’m from here and I’m not poor. The state as a whole is poor and declining under ms haley. It’s probably declining because of your presence too.
We agree on Haley.
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-X888Y-DOMcQ/T6FMZg4331I/AAAAAAAAAO4/B2yme6UHajc/w402-h495-no/ginger.jpg
Tell you what there “Frankie Boy” I’l leave.
As long as you kiss my ass on the way out the door……………..
Only if he takes you.
the state of Florida sales tax brings in 17,822,003,000 per year. over 3 times
the amount of sc total revenue from all sources, that is why they do not need
an income tax.
I feel ya, but I believe you know that’s not really a fair metric for comparison. Florida’s population is bumping up at almost 20 million or so, and ours here is still under 5 million…
And they get the snowbirds and kiddies to bump their population.
Plus they have a high personal property tax and a tax on unearned income. Fees out the wazoo and an economy based on tourism, beef and oranges.
Your answer assumes there’s some level of taxes that allows government to do what they do. But politicians always, 100% of the time, waste whatever taxes they didn’t give to their cronies, and they always ask for more. They don’t need your or my money more than our families do.
You forgot Tennessee and Nevada.
Only thing is in Tennessee, sales tax is higher,alcohol, just about everything else.
Florida “nibbles’ you to death with “fees” and don’t forget how much Florida brings in by para-mutual betting on dog tracks,Hai-Jlia (sp) and the like.
Actually, I’m all for no individual tax like Tennessee.
These days, it takes me longer to complete my SC income tax than my IRS 1040.
But the bottom line is it just about all evens out no matter which state you live in.
Correct. We are being fleeced evenly so the 53% Can have an iPhone too.
I don’t know how much more tax relief our family can stand. Last time it was property tax relief. Act. 288 in 2006 provided homeowner tax relief and reduced taxes on four family member’s homes and several unimproved Lots. Within 2 years, the subsequent shift in property tax to our commercial properties: offices, warehouses and manufacturing, resulted in a large net tax increase for the four family members.
I’m reminded of the old saying: “Be careful what you ask for, you just might get it.”
Well, at least you are for a decrease even if you doubt that it actually would happen.
This happens because the rate of spending continues to rise. Don’t ask for tax cuts; demand a reduction in spending. Then the tax cuts will come.
Fucking people on the back end is a classic strategy at car dealerships. People are usually adamant about getting a car at a decent price, or getting extra features for free, but there are all kinds of shell games that can be used to screw them out of just as much cash, if not more. A lot of this screwing is done in the finance department of dealerships, well after the customer has already gotten a “great price” on their car. One of the tried and true methods of this is four-square.
http://consumerist.com/2007/03/30/dealerships-rip-you-off-with-the-four-square-heres-how-to-beat-it/
It is always a shell game. One of the more common ones for government is raising a penny sales tax to “lower” property taxes, which pretty much always go right back up within a few years. Or, most recently, the tax increase to “fix” the bus system, which pretty blatantly spends the revenue on just about anything but the bus system, which is extremely likely to result in the city asking for more tax increases in the future to “fix.”
Katrina’s Used Cars is giving you a GREAT DEAL! Now, let’s go on to financing. Let me pull out a pencil and paper and draw four boxes…
Why all the negative speak? Look at the states that don’t have this onerous tax and they are all doing just fine even with the piss poor economy.
First of all SC does not have onerous taxes compared to most other states. Second, which states are you referring to so we can see if you actually know what you are talking about?
Dont point out facts to this crowd.”Onerous” is “onerous” is “onerous!”
I forgot an “onerous.”Sorry.
Yep. I know Oregon is a sales tax state. Barely time to keep up with SC politics, but I don’t hear Portland filing for bankruptcy. Still don’t like it. Fracking jack boots need to be hogtied. This much and No More.
Let me boil this proposal down to what it really is. I want to cut income taxes primarily on the wealthiest people in the state. I am going to pay for it by cutting expense, but I am not going to tell you what those expense are.
In other words I am Mitt Romney. I can’t tell you what I am going to do before the election because you might not elect me. In this case, I can’t tell you what I am going to cut because you will not support my plan.
When Ms. Shealy presents a real plan. I.E. here is how much revenue we will lose from the tax cut and here are the things I will vote to cut offset that loss. It might be worth looking at. But until then its just more GOP BS. Just like the Bush tax cuts, that skyrocketed the deficit.
I think you’re channeling pelosi.
It’s fuzzy math. The GOP is ripe with it. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuzzy_math_(politics)
It is a typical bait and switch, replace the state income tax (which is already a stone’s throw away from being flat) with a regressive one, like sales tax. It has been proposed time and time again in many different states.
The trick here is that Katrina is pretending the switch doesn’t exist, and the bait isn’t really bait. Nope, she’s just wrapping up a big Christmas gift and nothing bad is going to happen.
You can tell me all day about the Laffer Curve or tax cuts spurring growth, but be honest. This is SC. Our economy is already hideously dismal. We are below average at best and bottom of the barrel at the worst. Huge numbers of poor, uninsured, unemployed, mobile homes, etc.
The tax relief will more likely be spent on bills, debt, or buying necessities at Walmart by a large number of households. That to me is hardly what is needed to replace such a huge revenue hole.
Shortfalls are inevitable with these. Even when sales tax is increased in tandem with the income tax cuts there can be shortfalls, here it is relatively guaranteed. That means two things:
1- Raise taxes, which Katrina “didn’t want to do” but well gee golly we gots no choice now!
2- Cut spending.
Before you cheer for #2, remember who decides what gets cut. If you really, really think the current legislature and governor will ever cut anything that helps them and theirs or will hesitate to cut anything that might actually help the tax paying citizens, well, I guess there really is no hope for you.
(Yawn)Ok she got her publicity and the usual suspects here are getting all worked up about the tax cuts they wont be getting?Lets move on…
A lot of people cheat the SC government out of millions each year lying on their income tax. This will fix that. I’m all for it.
the individual income tax brought in 3,096,834,299 in f/y 2012
and 3,357,517,669 in f/y 2013. total revenue was 6,404,016,038
in 2012 and 6,924,840,185 in f/y 2013.so she wants to eliminate about
50% of the states revenue. so growth in the economy will offset the loss.
What has she been smoking ?????
Yes, to those without an overtly political agenda the obvious realization is: the numbers just don’t work. That doesn’t matter in GOP World. What matters is the “pander factor” on the stump.
Math must not be your strong suit. Corporations were taxed 386,000,000.00 (three hundred eighty-six million and zero cents) last year in SC. You are saying individuals were taxed 3,357,517,669.00 ( three billion three hundred fifty-seven million five hundred seventeen thousand six hundred sixty-nine and zero cents) Get a GED…and while you are at it, inspire Karl Smirx to get one too as he says corporations pay zero taxes.
Serious question…..Would you elaborate? I’m struggling to understand the point you are trying to make. The numbers are spot on according to SC Dept. of Rev. figures. Is your beef the figurative measure that Smirx makes or the proportionate numbers themselves?
Look, Smirx is a wacko who makes Ed Shultz blush.
Looking at all sources of revenue, edr is spot on…50% of the state’s revenue would be eliminated in the face of rising unemployment, commercial real estate, stock market, and housing bubbles about to…POP
I do not understand where she is coming from. A quick glance at her pre-filed bills, making mopeds motor vehicles requiring a license and liability insurance as well as stiffening CDV penalties, makes me wonder who is giving her these ideas.
Yeah, eliminating the income tax will be a miraculous breath of life for our state economy, and it will totally pay for itself! Does it come with a free bridge?
And when our government has enormous shortfalls as a result, let me guess: “Let’s cut [insert programs that help the working class] and raise the regressive sales tax!”
It amazes me that anyone could pretend they don’t see this shit coming.
Stupid, stupid, stupid.
It’s intellectually dishonest to praise this without even some kind of study showing what the advantages might be. As it is, if it passes, it will just further erode collections to agency that have been cutting for years since before the official recession hit.
BS
Just as an academic exercise after all the BS has now been shot,I am interested,
How many of you REALLY believe that a backbencher like Katrina Shealy will succeed in abolishing the income tax in South Carolina.Come on, be honest,how many of you REALLY believe this is going to happen?
Shealy is nothing more than engaging in pandering of the sort her predecessor Big Jake did–promise stuff, make it look like you’re doing something when in fact you know good and well nothing will come of it. No way Leatherman lets this see the light of day. She goes off to her little Cayce Mafia meetings and the 9/12 wackos in Red Bank and says “look what I did” and the half-wits re-elect her. Give her points for knowing the Lexington County electorate is stupid. Comparing SC with FL (large property and entertainment tax revenue), NV (gambling revenue), TX (oil revenue) etc. doesn’t work. SC doesn’t have alternative means to raise the money. Growth in the economy just means growth in the infrastructure needs we can’t now and under the Shealy solution won’t be able to pay for either.
Ms. Shealy is as sincere as they come. When she was running for office this last time I set up a meet and greet with some local youths (yutes for some of you) and asked if she would come. She knew she probably wouldn’t get any votes out of it but she came anyway, because she wanted to meet the kids and find out what was important to them. She’s a good egg and if she doesn’t succeed it won’t be for lack of trying.
She is a Teanut. She is no different than Hailey and Palin. Her goal was a government job, which she now has and the money that will bring. Legally or under the table.
Wrong, but don’t let that ruin your hallucination.
Shealy replaced Boss Hog and starting to look and act like Miss Piggy.
But, but … comrades, how will we fund cradle to grave socialist programs without high income tax?
All power to the Soviet and Comrade President Obama!
First of all this has nothing to do with Obama, but the Teanuts can’t help throwing that in. Hopefully even the Republicans will start ignoring them at some point.
Second, no government can exist without taxes. Taxes are as old as government and will be collected by someone. Taxes are the price of civilization, and so long as we have a government there will be taxes. The only question is how to collect and how much; and that is a function of what we as a society believe we should pay for.
The problem with the Teanuts is they over value the benefits of government received by the people they hate and undervalue the benefits they receive from government.
If I could do any experiment, it would be to allow anyone who wanted to participate to pay no taxes of any kind, but be willing to pay for all government services the full price the market will bear.
“Taxes are the price of civilization”
God knows that several undeclared wars with hundreds of thousands of civilians killed and hordes of generational poor all being funded with tax money has been quite civilizing.
It’s a step in the right direction. Obviously a hot topic.
Wrong!
Senator Shealy wants to eliminate the state income tax. Sounds great but where to eliminate in state government. How about eliminating the job of Senator Shealy’s sister at DHEC?
This whole no income tax thing makes me want to ask, what happens when the economy plummets again? You have to have a plan that accounts for both the good and the bad turns in the economy. This plan doesn’t address that. It’s idealistic, but who realistic is it. If it were so simple, you would think someone would have done it already.
I think Sen. Shealy rocks and love the idea, however, call me cynical, but there will never be a zero tax in SC, taxes will be made up in some other area. Even if the bill passes as is, there will be a tax hike to make up the difference. The question is, where will the increase come?